American Eyes
by Screamer
Summary: When your past haunts you, you have no choice but to seek out the truth. When Alex Porter attempts just that, the truth leads her to a place she hasn't seen for 16 years, a place that she finds out is harder to leave. Fred/OC with platonic Harry/OC as to
1. Chapter 1

Buttoning the last few buttons on her traveling cloak, she smiled as she caught her reflection in the mirror. They all—her aunts, her friends, various other people—thought she was crazy for making this journey.

_"You're purposely traveling to a country where your own personal safety is at risk, a country where He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has openly, albeit accidentally revealed himself?" Her aunt said, an incredulously look on her face._

_Her jaw set like stone; they had gone over this time and time again, and yet her aunts still brought up the same argument. "I'm not doing this to be a daredevil or to challenge anything. This is something that I_need_ to do…..we've been over this. We went over this before, I was supposed to go there as soon as I was done with school. Well, I'm done. I'm going. It's what I'm supposed to do….it's what—he—wanted."_

_"We forbid you to go!" Her other aunt said, stepping in front of the door, as though she could stop her niece._

_She smiled wryly and laughed slightly. "I'm going. I have to know. I have to find out for myself. I need to do this…I just need to do this." They wouldn't understand and she was prepared for it._

Checking her bags once, twice, three times for the her identification papers and the photographs she held so dear, she decided that the time to leave was now or never.

"I'm leaving." She announced clearly as she descended down the stairs of the home she had lived in for the past 16 years. Her aunts both looked up from the table where they were reading the newspaper and grunted. Neither acknowledged her presence beyond that. "Honestly, thank you for….everything. I couldn't have asked for better—for better anything." A lump rose in her throat. She was leaving, really leaving and there was no guarantee she would ever be allowed back…no guarantee that she would ever make it back.

She grabbed her bags and prepared to Disapparate, closing her eyes in preparation for the uncomfortable feeling of Apparation. "Don't go!" her aunt suddenly screeched and her eyes flicked open. The aunt rose from the table and strode over to her. If her aunt reached her, she wouldn't leave.

"I'm sorry." She pleaded. "I'm really sorry!" She turned on the spot, her aunts' house turned into a blur of colors and one of them screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

She landed in the Ministry Approved zone for foreign travelers. She didn't want to cause trouble two seconds after arriving. Nothing could stand in the way of what she needed to do.

"Papers please." Grunted a short wizard with a handle bar mustache. He surveyed the papers she handed over closely, giving a little start as he read the information. She shifted nervously, hoping that he wouldn't raise any alarms. "Welcome to Britain, miss." He said, handing the papers back to her and turning to a travel log. "What's the purpose for this trip?"

Her mind raced, there were so many possible options, but she settled on the safest bet. "Funeral….Albus Dumbledore's funeral." She replied, forcing the last few syllables out as the hot tears rose behind her eyes.

"I see…very sorry, m'am." The short wizard said, jotting down the information into the travel log. "Very sorry indeed….the whole wizarding world is now at greater risk with the loss of Dumbledore."

She nodded politely, hoping that the short wizard would let her continue on her journey soon. "Sign here." He said, handing her the travel log. "And then you'll want to Apparate straight into Hogsmeade Village, closest town to Hogwarts."

She smiled her thanks and bent down, quill shaking in her hand as she signed the parchment.

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She had disappeared as quickly and as quietly as she'd appeared. Harry barely glimpsed her at the funeral services for Dumbledore. The stranger who stoically stood beside Professor McGonagall was not Harry's primary concern at the time. But later, as his journey to destroy Voldemort weighed heavily on his mind, that's when the face of they mysterious girl started to haunt him.

There was something so familiar about those features, but Harry could not place them. He felt, as though he knew this girl somehow, had some fleeting memory of those brooding hazel eyes. The nose, the mouth, the dark red hair that fell lazily in her face, the way she stood that day…they all reminded Harry of someone. But who? Of all the things that could possibly be running through his mind while he waited at number four Privet Drive, this girl took up most of his time.

Then, the day after Harry's narrow escape from Voldemort and his Death Eaters to the Burrow, she appeared again, in the same quiet and mysterious manner, although this time, she was not staring stoically ahead but rather sitting at the kitchen table, calmly reading the newest edition of the _Daily Prophet_ and drinking a cup of tea. Harry rubbed the sleep out of his eyes to make sure that he was not dreaming, to make she this mystery girl was not a figment of his imagination.

"Oh, Harry, good morning!" Mrs. Weasley greeted him cheerily. "Breakfast, dear?" she set a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon down on the table for him, directly across from the girl.

"Thanks." Harry said as he sat down, not taking his eyes off of the girl.

"Ron should be coming around late this morning.' Mrs. Weasley told him. "I had to send him out for some errands for the wedding. Hermione and Bill went with him." She added as Harry cast her a concerned look.

"How is George?" He asked, digging into his breakfast and trying to keep from staring at the girl sitting across from him.

"He's as well as can be expected. Still sleeping, I would expect."

Harry, clearly distracted by the presence of the mystery girl across the table (who as of yet, had not lifted her eyes from the paper), uttered an undecipherable sentence back to Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley looked at both Harry and the girl with concern before turning away and setting about cleaning the dishes.

Harry haphazardly ate his food, his fork on more then one occasion stabbing the old wooden table rather then the eggs on his plate. After this occurred several times, the girl finally looked up from her paper.

"Good morning, Harry. She said raising an eyebrow and turning the page. "Mrs. Weasley, can I have a refill on the tea?" Harry was surprised to hear heavy evidence of an accent in her speech. An American accent.

"Of course dear," Mrs. Weasley smiled. "And please, dear, it's Molly."

"Alright, well, Molly…" Alex trailed off. "Are you sure that he is coming today?" she asked anxiously.

Mrs. Weasley paused slightly. "I believe so…but there's no being certain."

The girl frowned slightly and slumped down in her chair, readjusting the _Daily Prophet_ angrily. A loud crack sounded from outside, and Mrs. Weasley looked up suddenly. Harry scrambled over to the window in time to see Remus Lupin climbing over the fence that marked the beginning of the Weasleys' property. He was shunted aside as Mrs. Weasley and the girl rushed to the window.

"Harry, stay away from the window, just in case." Mrs. Weasley cautioned, pulling her wand from her apron pocket and going outside.

"Is that Remus Lupin?" Alex asked anxiously, her eyes darting between Harry and Lupin.

"Yeah, that's him…." Harry replied. "I'm sorry, but who are you, exactly?"

She looked at him, her mouth scrunched to the side as she surveyed him. "I—" Lupin and Mrs. Weasley's arrival in the house cut her words short. find his body, though Molly." Lupin said sadly as he walked in the door. He stopped short when he saw the girl glowering at him. Lupin's mouth opened slightly, as though he was shell-shocked to see the person in front of him.

Next to Harry, she took a deep breath. "I need to know the truth." She said, her tone implying that there was no room for Harry, Lupin, or even Mrs. Weasley to protest.


	3. Chapter 3

Lupin looked slightly uncomfortable as the girl whom Harry was racking his brains to indentify stared coolly right at him. "I-I…I don' t think that I am the right….person to explain everything to you."

She let out a small, derisive laugh as she replied. "If not you than who? There's no one left, Remus. It's got to be you." She produced a letter sized piece of parchment from her pocket and Harry struggled to look at the words as she passed it to Lupin, who took the letter with reluctance. Harry recognized the slender, loopy handwriting.

"That's a letter from Dumbledore!" he exclaimed. "But how, you…I mean, you're American, aren't you?"

"Technically, yes." She replied, not taking her eyes off Lupin, who was reading over the letter, a grayish hue appearing on his face as he did so. "I grew up there. I was born here."

Harry had been trying to connect the dots, but they seemed to become more scattered with the more information he learned. "You still haven't told me who you are." Harry replied as Lupin handed back the letter with a defeated look and sat down at the table. Sitting across from Lupin at the table, she pulled two photographs out of her pocket and placed them face down on the table next to the letter.

"Harry, I think you should see this." She said quietly, motioning for Harry to take the seat next to her.

Lupin opened his mouth to interject, but the girl shot him a scathing look and he quickly closed it. Harry was amazed that Lupin was intimated by someone barely half his age, but was too intrigued by the face down photographs. She flipped over the first photograph and pushed it towards Harry.

Two faces grinned goofily back at him from the photo, one a toddler and one a baby less than a year old. Harry immediately recognized the young boy with the black hair as himself and his eyes shifted to the girl on his right. She was attempting to tickle Harry, who was laughing and trying vainly to squirm away from her. Suddenly, something clicked in Harry's brain.

"I knew that I'd met you before…." He said, still trying to match up the face from his past with an actual name. "…but I don't know where or who….or…"

"Harry," Lupin said carefully as the girl passed him another photo. "Alex is Sirius's daughter."

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	4. Chapter 4

Harry laughed nervously. "Sirius doesn't have a daughter!" he said, but as he looked at Alex, he could see that it was true. Her brooding yet beautiful features, the way she stood, even the way she had laughed earlier all resemblance Sirius's own looks and mannerism.

"Actually, he does." Lupin said, nodding towards Alex, who smiled and nodded. She pushed the second of the two photographs towards Harry. As he looked down at the photo, Harry felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. He drew in a sharp breath. Sirius stood, smiling, next to James Potter who was holding baby Harry. They were sitting on a park bench, but Sirius was half standing and laughing as he tried to hold back Alex, who was attempting to grab Harry from James.

"But he never mentioned you…." Harry trailed off, his eyes transfixed on the photo. "He-he would have told me if he had a daughter. Sirius would have looked for you…."

Alex looked down. "No, he wouldn't have." She said quietly. "The last time I saw him, I told him that I never wanted to see him again." Harry gaped at Alex. Harry, who had never had a father, could not imagine saying that to his father if he were alive.

"Harry, what you must understand," Lupin started to explain, "is what transpired before Sirius went to Azkaban. Sometimes, in order to protect the ones we love, we must make…certain sacrifices. Sirius sacrificed his family to protect them."

"Around the same time your parents were going into hiding, Sirius arranged for his wife and child to go into hiding as well."

"_Wife?!"_ Harry exclaimed. "Sirius was married?"

Lupin nodded. "Yes. They met at Hogwarts. She was, I believe, a year older than us. They married shortly after Sirius completed his Hogwarts education, and Alex…." He smiled slightly. "Alex was born shortly after that." Lupin turned towards Alex slightly. "Sirius was very proud to be a father."

Alex nodded tears in her eyes as she clutched at the photograph. Questions flew through Harry's mind; there didn't seem to be enough time to ask everything he wanted to know, so he blurted a question out without thinking. "Who did he marry?"

It was Alex who spoke this time, her voice a barely audible whisper. "Elizabeth Dumbledore."

_"DUMBLEDORE!?!?!"_ Harry practically shouted. He felt betrayed by the two people that were supposed to care about him most. Neither of them had bother to tell them about their lives before he survived Voldemort's attack. Neither had told them of a family member that Harry apparently frequent had play dates with as a child. Neither had bother to mention that they two, were more intimately linked to each other than Harry knew. As Harry stared from Lupin to Alex and back again, he became increasingly aware that Alex resembled her Dumbledore relatives almost as strongly as her Black relatives.

"Albus Dumbledore was my uncle." Alex explained. "Well, more like a cousin really, but for all intensive purposes, I called him 'Uncle Albus' and he referred to me as his niece."

"But why didn't anyone…tell me about this?" Harry asked, a slight note of the sting of betrayal penetrated his voice.

"Well," Lupin looked at Alex, "and I guess this is where what you want to know starts as well, Alex….Dumbledore and Sirius both decided to play down their relationships with Alex and her mother. They changed their last name to 'Porter' and were set to go into hiding a few days after James and Lily. Both Sirius and Dumbledore feared Voldemort's followers would attack or kidnap Alex and Elizabeth as a way to obtain information about your parents' whereabouts."

"So you and your mother have been in hiding for 16 years?" Harry asked Alex.

"Not exactly….." Alex trailed off again and Harry saw her hands flit from the table to the hem of her shirt, where she nervously picked at a loose thread on the hem. "

Lupin picked up the story for her. "Before Alex and her mother were to go into hiding, Ellie decided that she needed to tie up some ends. Sirius had Alex that day, one last day to spend with his daughter—"

"But why wasn't Sirius going into hiding as well?"

"Harry, you knew Sirius well. You saw what he was like at Grimmauld Place. The idea of being cooped up inside while a war was rage outside was not attractive to a man as headstrong and brash as Sirius." Harry nodded. "Now, Alex, you and your father returned to your home that day…..and the Dark Mark had been set over it."

Alex let out a small gasp and Harry saw her chin waver. "I-I-I never knew exactly _what_ had happened to my mother." She murmured. Harry, for some odd reason, put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a half hug. He too knew what it was like to find out the truth about how your parents' died. "I just knew—she was gone and I was, well, I was where I was…."

"Sirius brought you to Dumbledore immediately. Dumbledore thought it best to get you out of the country, and so you where taken to relatives in America, a place where Voldemort's reign had not yet reached, until Sirius and Dumbledore thought it was safe to bring you back."

"But I never got to come back." Alex said shortly, and Harry could tell she was having a hard time controlling her anger."

"Sirius was framed for murdering Peter Pettigrew." Harry supplied and Alex nodded.

"Dumbledore was the only real family I had here, and after Voldemort's Killing Curse rebounded, it wasn't practical for me to come back to Britain. My aunts raised me in Massachusetts and told me very little about my mother or my father. I didn't even know my real last name until I was nine years old.

"Uncle Albus came to visit me often, and one day he told me I was a Black. And he told me about my father, and how he was serving a life sentence in Azkaban for murder."

"But you know he didn't do it, right?" Harry asked. "You know it was Pettigrew."

"I know that _now_," Alex said sadly, "but when it mattered, when I saw him, even Dumbledore thought he was responsible for not only Pettigrew's death, but your parents' as well. When I was…fourteen I think, I begged Dumbledore to let me go visit him at Azkaban, thinking maybe….I don't know, he would repent when he saw me. Dumbledore pulled some strings at the Ministry and he took me to the prison.

"And I saw my father for the first time, and I was scared. He didn't look anything like the pictures I'd collected of him." Harry remembered what Sirius had looked like post-Azkaban; unkempt, hollow, crazed, and wild. He assumed that he couldn't have looked any better sitting in an Azkaban cell. "He knew I was there, he specifically called me 'Zani,' but he kept pacing around his cell yelling 'I found him Zani, I found him!' There was this crazy look in his eyes…I just, I didn't want my father to be insane, I just wanted….a father. Silly, I know, after twelve years of Azkaban and Dementors.

"He grabbed my hand right before I left, and looked straight at me, almost pleading with me to help him. 'I found him! I found him!' And…." Alex stuttered. "And I told him that I was disgusted and never wanted to see him ever again. I told him….I told him that if he ever tried to find me, I'd kill him." Harry looked at Alex's face, now streaming with tears. He remembered uttering those same words, not long after Alex must have, and how painful it was to hear them echoed back to him now.

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	5. Chapter 5

Shortly after her breakdown, Alex retreated to the living room to gather her thoughts. She wanted to ask Lupin, and even Harry, a thousand more questions about Sirius, but the arrival of several redheaded people made the kitchen crowded and stuffy.

Harry followed after her, but Alex pointedly ignored his steps as he approached. Alex heard him clear his throat a few times, trying to alert her to his presence, but she continued to stare out the window as though she was the only one in the room. She barely registered that he'd left the room before she took out the letter that she had been clenching tightly in here hand. Her eyes glanced over the slanted writing and she felt a lump rise in her throat. She was sick of constantly righting off tears.

_My Dearest Alex,_

_It is with regret that I write this letter to you, rather than seeing you in person. A few nights ago, there was a battle at the Ministry of Magic, and your father rushed to protect five innocent teenagers from most certain destruction. Regrettably, though the five are safe, Sirius was killed in the battle. I want to assure you that he fought valiantly and did not suffer from any pain before he died._

_As I am sure you know, your father died protecting his godson, Harry Potter, from the clutches of Lord Voldemort. It is my sincerest wish that you had been able to know Sirius and Harry, as they are the closest thing to a normal family that I could ever hope to provide you with. With any luck, I hope you will one day be able to meet Harry, who can share his own memories of his godfather with you._

_It is also with regret that I inform you that I am canceling your trip here this summer. In light of recent events, it does not make sense to put you in extreme danger at this time. Though there is much that we need to discuss, there are pressing matters that would take up too much of my time, and result in an unfairly small amount of attention given to you. I have spoken to your aunts, and both agreed that the trip may be more beneficial next year, sometime after you finish school, so that there will be less of a restriction on how much time we have together._

_Though I may be out of touch for sometime, please do not worry about my safety. What is important now is that you finish your education; after that we can discuss what choices you have going forward. If anything does happen to me, please be assured that I have advised Remus Lupin, a friend of your father's from school, to explain everything to you. It is my sincerest wish that you do, eventually, return to the country of your birth to discover who you really are._

A loud noise from the kitchen disrupted Alex's reading and she snatched up the letter just in time to see two identical redheaded boys entering the sitting room.

"—it was only a _joke_." One of the boys said with exasperation, flopping down on the couch. "C'mon really, what's the point of losing an ear if you can't occasionally pretend that you happen to find a new one in your morning porridge?"

The other boy grinned back at him. "Mum's still a little shaky, I'd suspect. She'll get over it soon—who are you?" the twin had obviously noticed that Alex was in the room.

"Alex Black." She replied quickly. "What happened in the kitchen?"

Fred looked at George, who's mouth was slightly ajar. Alex did not appreciate the skeleton in the closet glare she was getting from everyone. "George decided that he has recovered enough from his injuries to move from verbal jokes on to ones involving a fake ear. Apparently, no one else finds this funny. I swear, George, everyone but us have rubbish senses of humor."

"You lost the ear, what last night?" Alex asked George, who nodded. "Maybe it's a little too soon to be pulling fake ears out of your food. You could try, you know, tripping over objects that aren't there or something, losing an ear should mess with your equilibrium." Both of the twins shot her curious looks. "You know, it doesn't hurt to prime your audiene up a bit for the final act, if you know what I mean—"

"Fred, George!" Mrs. Weasley's voice, a hint of anger still lingering, rang from the kitchen. "Ask Alex if she is going to join us for lunch!"

"No, I—" alex started to reply, desperate to get out of this claustrophobic house and the looks of its inhabitants.

"You know what, Mum," Fred's voice cut hers off and a grin appeared on his face. "I think she will!"

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_Thanks for reading, reviews appreciated!_

_-screamer_


	6. Chapter 6

"Is it always _this_ chaotic?" Alex mumbled to Harry as she sat next to him at the already overcrowded table. Used to a rather dull and boring life with only her two aunts to keep her company, the non-stop action of the Burrow was slightly overwhelming. Mrs. Weasley was swishing her wand and bread and various lunch meats were assembling themselves into sandwiches. Hermione was pouring Pumpkin juice and Ginny was busy having heated discussion with Fleur.

Harry grinned knowingly. "It is," he replied as he helping himself to a sandwich and passed the platter to Alex. "But you get used to it after awhile."

Alex opened her mouth to reply, but Fred squeezed onto the bench next to Alex at the over-packed table, causing many dishes to shift a few inches and almost knocking over a teetering cup of Pumpkin juice. George settled across from his twin, reacting in time to prevent the pumpkin juice from falling to the floor.

"You know," said Fred casually sipping his pumpkin juice. "We got your name, but you never got ours. George—" he pointed to himself first, then to his twin. "—and Fred."

Alex heard Harry Stifle a laugh and the corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly. "_You_ know, last time I heard, the brave and battle scarred twin was George and you, well you were just _Fred…_" she trailed off glanced over at Fred, who was attempting not to look surprised at her rude demeanor.

"Well, that was just uncalled for." Fred said, grabbing a sandwich. "You hear that, George? Speaking that way and as a guest in our mother's house."

"Way I see it mate, I'm the hero and you're…just Fred." George grinned, he started to eat his lunch. Though Alex's appearance had originally made him uneasy, he was starting to warm to her.

"_Burn_. Not even your own brother is sticking up for you now." Alex hissed, not wanting to be overheard by Mrs. Weasley. She was still a guest in this house, albeit a reluctant one. The last thing she needed to do was upset the Weasleys, who had been friends with both her father and uncle.

"Is that an American accent?" George asked, trying to place where she was from. And more importantly, why she was here.

"Yeah. I'm from the US. Massachusetts to be exact."

"American. What are you doing in England, with You-Know-Who on the prowl? Are you daft or just fancy a bit of adventure?" Fred filled his glass with pumpkins juice and raised the jug. "Pumpkin juice?" he asked nonchalantly, filling Alex's glass before she could even protest.

Feeling slightly sorry for her, Harry tried to supply and answer. "She's a relat—"

"Fred Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley rounded on her son, using the soon in her hand as a threat. "You will not speak to guests in my house in that manner! Alex is a relative of Dumbledore's and was here for the funeral."

"Oh." Alex watched Fred with a bit of intrigue as this information washed over him. Previously cocky and headstrong, he seemed slightly embarrassed and hung his head slightly. He had no snarky comebacks or witty words for this, and fixated on the lunch in front of him.

"You'll be staying for the wedding, won't you dear? No need to rush back to the States?" Mrs. Weasley asked, though the implication was more like Alex would be staying, whether she wanted to or not.

"Oh, well, um….I—I don't think so. I mean, I don't really know Bill and Fleur. I wouldn't want to spoil their big day."

"Nonsense. Any relative of Albus Dumbledore is as good as my own family. We'll squeeze you in with Ginny and Hermione."

"Great." Alex sighed and pushed around the food on her plate. All she wanted to do was get out of this house and go back to her room at the Leaky Cauldron in London, where she could be alone and process the information Remus Lupin had just thrust upon her.

Fred grinned. "You can be my date."

Alex narrowed her eyes. "You wish." She hissed back.

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"What do you think of her, Georgie?" Fred asked, as they both lay in sleeping bags on the floor of what used to be their room. It was a clear, moonlit night and Fred was laying with his hand behind his head, watching the shadows move across the ceiling.

George rustled around and rolled over to face his twin. "She's alright." He yawned. "Don't know why Mum's making her stay though. She looks about as comfortable in this house as a Muggle-born Slytherin's common room."

Fred smiled to himself in the dark. "I like her. Bit snarky. That's my type of girl."

"Well, brilliant. Now can you put a sock in it so I can get some sleep? Mum's been running around like a banshee and I'd like to be at least half awake when she starts giving us orders."

"Blimey! Someone's in a bad mood. I fancy a bit of a walk anyways." Fred crawled out of his sleeping bag and walked to the door. "Enjoy your beauty sleep, Georgie darling." Fred whispered as he crept out the door onto the landing. He looked down. The light was still on in the living room, which was odd for this time of night, especially with everyone being on edge with the battle over Little Whinging and the approaching wedding. Fleur's parents would be arriving the next day, so Fred was certain it was not his parents awake. He slowly slinked down the stairs.

"-was supposed to be visiting him that summer, Harry." The voice drifted up the creaky stairwell.

"What?"

"The summer that he—Sirius, I mean, my father—the summer after the fight in the Ministry." Fred was just outside the doorway now. _Sirius, her father? _He thought as he continued to listen. "That's why….." Alex hesitated. "Dumbledore" (the word was wrought with pain as it escaped her lips) "wanted me to visit.

After you helped Sirius escape, Dumbledore explained the truth about what really happened. That my father was not the murderer everyone thought he was. He wanted us to meet but….well, first he was one the run wasn't he? And then, Voldemort basically came back from the dead. My uncle didn't think it was safe for me to come here, besides he was quite pre-occupied with you at that point."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's fine, Harry, really. I'm glad you're safe. I had memories of you, you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Fuzzy, nothing really specific. Maybe they are just a product of those pictures I showed you. But anyways, when Sirius finally was not on the run and living at Grimmauld Place, I was supposed to visit. During the summer when Dumbledore could spend more time with me….but then—"

"Bellatrix Lestrange killed him."

There was silence for a little bit. "Yes." Alex replied quietly. "His own cousin killed him."

The silence continued, interrupted by only the crackling of the fire, which was dwindling in the hearth. Harry's tea cup clinked against a saucer on the table. "I wish you had known him."

"Me too, Harry. I feel so….terrible. The last words I ever said to him were that I hated him and would kill him. My own father. The only family I really had…..was he a good man, Harry?"

The cup clinked again. "He was…..he was a rash man, but a brave man. He didn't laugh a lot, but when he did it was this great, barking laugh that made you feel alive. You know, the first time I saw you, really saw you, you reminded me of him. I just didn't know it. That's why I kept staring at you."

"Really? Thanks, Harry. That really means a lot."

More silence filled the air. The fire was down to embers. "Well, I should be getting on to bed. You coming up?"

"I think I'll stay here for a few minutes."

"Alright, then. Don't get lost…this place can be like a maze when you're new to it." He picked up the tea cups.

"I won't." Alex assured him, curling her feet under her body on the sofa.

Harry's shadow moved across the wall, but stopped short of the door. "He saved my life that night, Sirius. The night he died."

" I know, Harry. I know. I'm glad he did. You're the Boy Who Lived. Kinda would have made that title pointless if he had just let Voldemort do you in." A small, sad smile spread across Alex's face.

"True."

"Night, Harry. Sleep well."

Harry paused at the door. "Good night, then." Fred attempted to slink back into the shadows, but Harry saw him, stopping abruptly. Fred put a finger to his lips. Harry gave him a look, then deposited the dirty dishes in the sink and went upstairs.

In the den, Alex shifted and exhaled deeply as she closed her eyes. The last thing that she wanted was to go upstairs and sleep in a room with two girls she didn't know, in a house she didn't want to be in. She pulled her wand from the pocket of her bathroom and extinguished was remained of the fire. Not familiar with the Burrow, she bumped into the door frame as she attempted to exit the room. "Ouch." She muttered, grabbing a hold of her elbow as she felt her way along the wall.

Fred, still stunned by what he had overheard didn't move out of the way quickly enough. Alex bumped right into him and fell to the floor. "Lumos." She whispered, igniting her wand. Her defensive posture relaxed as soon as she realized it was Fred.

"Sorry about that." He apologized, reaching down to help her to her feet.

Alex dusted herself off. "Lurking in the dark, I see." She said, her eyes narrowing into slits.

"Not exactly."

"Hmmm. Well, good night then." She started up the stairs, and then stopped. She turned. "Am I going the right way."

Fred smiled. "Here, let me show you." He brushed past her on the stair case and led her up to the third floor, outside the door of his old room. "If you walk two doors down," he said, pointing to the left. "That's Ginny's room. Spect Mum's got a bed all set up for you in there."

"Thanks." Alex whispered. Fred was surprised by how small and tired she looked, as if speaking of her father had drawn all the life out of her. They stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Well, good night."

"Night." He replied back, feeling as though the moment called for something more. Alex turned to continue down the hall, but Fred grabbed her arm lightly. She turned back toward him, a curious look on her face. "I'm sorry about Sirius…your father. I really am. Harry's right, you know, he was a good man. Always game for a laugh."

Alex smile wavered as she looked at him. "Thanks. Really, thanks….Fred."

He grinned back at her. "You got it right, good job."

"I'm rather smart, you know. And observant. Good night."

"Night." He stood outside of the door until Alex disappeared into Ginny's room. "Well, this just got a little more interesting."

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	7. Chapter 7

There was still another entire day until the wedding; Alex had been at the Burrow for three days already and was beginning to feel trapped. She wasn't used to having other people around, or used to having people fuss over her. Her aunts, ancient when she was a baby, were eager to leave her to her own devices as she got older. Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let her help with any wedding preparations ("you're a guest!"), and kept trying to press sandwiches and other treats on Alex. Thankfully, the Delacour's had arrived and Mrs. Weasley's attention had been diverted somewhat.

The one person she did want to talk with was Harry, but he was busy with wedding preparations and attempting to find a spare moment to sneak away with Ron and Hermione. Mrs. Weasley was even more determined to keep Harry, Hermione, and Ron apart then she was determined to make Alex gain 5 pounds while at the Burrow.

And then the was Fred. He was constantly lurking around a corner or popping up when she was reading a book, a goofy grin on his face or a joke on his lips. No matter what Alex did to escape him, he seemed to be able to find her. However, that particular morning Alex had been woken up by a few loud bangs emanating from the hallway.

"What the eff was that?" She whispered to Ginny, who was calmly sitting on her bed reading an edition of "The Quibbler".

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Fred and George. They're probably experimenting. She flipped the page.

"Experimenting with what?"

"Stuff for their joke shop. They own a joke shop, didn't you know? They sell trick sweets, and portable swamps and the like. It's in Diagon Alley. I'm sure you've passed it."

"Interesting." Alex got up from her bed and stretched, looking out the small window in Ginny's room. It was a beautiful day out; the golden sun was glinting over the many large hills that surrounded the Burrow.

"It's late, but there might be a bit of breakfast downstairs if you'd like."

"Thanks." Alex pulled on shorts and a tee shirt, then rummaged through the small bag that held her personal belongings. She pulled out a book, _Extraordinary Trials in History_, and headed out of the bedroom.

She finally got a chance to talk to Harry later that night, as he helped set up for his own seventeenth birthday party.

"I know what you're planning, Harry." Alex whispered. She flicked her wand and mismatched silverware arranged itself around the plates crowded onto the table

"What?"

Alex jerked her head to the side, indicating that she wanted to speak to Harry alone. She ducked behind the shed and Harry followed. "You're going after Voldemort, or at least—" she looked around to make sure no one was listening in, "—his _Horcruxes_."

"Wha-? How do you know that?" Harry was extremely confused; the only person he'd told about the Horcruxes were Ron and Hermione.

"Does it really matter, Harry?" she replied, slightly annoyed. "Look, if you're going to go through with it, I want you to take this." Alex pulled a picture out of the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt. It was the picture of Alex & Harry with James & Sirius.

"I can't. It's the only picture you've got of Sirius. I've got loads—"

"In that book Hagrid gave you." Alex cut him off.

"Seriously, how do you know all of this?"

Realizing Harry wouldn't give in, Alex tapped the photograph with her wand and a second copy appeared. She handed it to Harry. "I can, well, I don't know what to call it. I don't read minds exactly, and I don't prophesize….sometimes I can just see pictures in my head of what other people are thinking or when something is going to happen."

"Wicked."

"The better I know the person, the more I can see. Proximity helps, too."

"Well, thanks for this." Harry held up the photo. "Erm, if you want, we can look at that book and you can make copies of anything in it you'd like."

"I'd like that." Alex smiled, tucking a strand of her long auburn hair behind her ear. "Now, go back to your party. If you're missing any longer, they're going to think I'm a Death Eater in disguise and tried to snatch you."

"Right." Harry walked out from behind the shed, but Alex lingered for a few moments.

"Harry! We were starting to get worried!" she heard Mrs. Weasley's voice, filled with worry as Harry went back to the part. "Look, Remus and Tonks have just arrived….."

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"One last chance." Fred said, seating himself across from Alex at the breakfast table on the morning of Bill and Fleur's wedding. "It would be a pity for such a pretty girl to go to a wedding alone."

"A pity, really? Hermione, do _you_ have a date to this wedding?

"Erm, well technically no, but I suppose I'll be attending with Harry and Ron…."

"And what about _you_, Ginny?

"I'm a bridesmaid."

"Do you _pity_ these girls as well?" Alex asked Fred point blank. Fred squirmed slightly; he wasn't used to the girls he attempted to charm being quite as witty as Alex Black. He was just about to open his mouth when his twin interrupted.

"Fred's speechless for the first time in his life, I reckon." George laughed so hard the bandage on his head started to shake loose.

Fred's face turned a bright shade of red that made his hair look pale by comparison.

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Author's Note: So thank you everyone for reading. If you've noticed, this story has been on hiatus for about 3 years, so I'd be interested in any reviews you would provide! Thanks


	8. Chapter 8

Alex looked at her reflection in the mirror. Being here, with all these people who acted like a big family was starting to make her feel uncomfortably normal. Even at her school in America, she never quite felt as though she fit in with the others. She had friends sure, but there was always something _missing_. She had hoped returning to Britain would make that gaping hole disappear, but so far it only seemed bigger, as if she didn't belong in either world.

"_A girl without a country." _She scoffed to herself, fingering the ends of her long auburn hair. The hair she'd been growing for as long as she could remember. _"Maybe it's time for a change._" She thought wistfully as she pulled out her wand.

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She wasn't expecting much; it wasn't as if anyone at the wedding really knew her, why would they care about the length of her hair? But due to the number of people currently inhabiting the Burrow, they were all forced to queue up for showers. Alex, who had already been in the bathroom, went first. She wrapped a towel around her head (_"I hope you're not hiding Voldemort in that thing!"_ Fred teased when he saw her) and had refused to take it down.

But, once again due to the number of people, Alex, Hermione, and Ginny were all forced to change and get ready for the wedding in Ginny's room. Mr. Weasley had conjured up a few extra mirrors and propped them up for the girls to use. With a slight reluctance, Alex slowly pulled the towel off her head.

Ginny and Hermione, both busy putting up their hair or pulling on stockings and shoes, did not notice. Alex breathed a sigh of relief and she pointed her wand at her hair to wick the last few remnants of moisture from it. She stepped behind a folding screen and pulled a spectacular red and black dress over her head.

"_That red clashes with your hair, dear."_ Alex's aunt's voice rang through her head and she grinned. Both of her raven haired aunts had absolutely hated when Alex wore red clothing, saying it looked like she had been set ablaze. That was one of the main reasons Alex liked the color. She pointed her wand at her head again and felt her hair get swept up into a more wedding appropriate, sleek yet messy styling.

"My god, your hair!" Ginny exclaimed when Alex stepped back out from the screen. "You've cut off a foot of it, at least!" Alex's hair, once close to her waist, now rested about an inch below her chin.

Trying desperately to hide her discomfort, Alex refused to look up as she put in her earrings. "Yes, I decided that it was time for a bit of a….change."

"Well, you look gorgeous. I barely recognize you." Hermione stated, pushing her heel onto her foot. She stood up straight, "Erm, that didn't come out right….not that you weren't pretty before."

"It's ok Hermione, there's no need to backpeddle. I understand what you meant. Thanks."

"That's one way to get my brother's attention."

"What are you talking about?" Alex stopped to stare at Ginny in the middle of putting on her shoes. It threw her off balance, but luckily there was a chair to break her fall.

"Fred. You know the non-bandaged twin. He obviously fancies you. This new haircut is a good way to keep his attention at the wedding tonight. Fleur's cousins will be here, and they're part Veela."

Alex rolled her eyes. "I could care less if Fred fancies me." She told Ginny, her pursed her lips in a manner that made her strongly resemble her mother.

Hermione looked tensely at the two girls. There were only about ten minutes before the wedding, and Ginny still had to gather with the rest of the wedding party. "Shall we, then?" Hermione asked, ushering the two girls out the door. Alex picked up a small black hand bag, and stumbling slightly in her heels, left the room.

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He could tell she was making an effort, even if she was trying to look like she was not. The red and black dress clashed brilliantly with her hair, and she wobbled slightly with each step she took. She made a noticeable effort to completely ignore him for most of the night, until they sat for dinner. As a last minute addition to the wedding, they had squeezed her in at a table with Harry, Hermione, Ron, George, and himself. Even then, she barely acknowledged him, and it was beginning to drive Fred a little crazy.

Alex's icy attitude and the presence of several of Fleur's cousins led them to drift apart across the tent. While Fred made every attempt to steal one of the cousins away from the group, George was having more luck with the girls. Maybe having one eye on Alex and one on the pretty blonde girl was messing up his concentration. He watched Alex as she flitted about, chatting with his mother, introducing herself to Hagrid, and chatting in-depth with Luna (well, as in-depth as any conversation with Luna could possibly be).

Then, miraculously, she was gliding across the floor towards him. Fred stopped in mid-sentence, blatantly ignoring the pretty blonde girl in front of him, who was starting to look less like a pretty blonde girl and more like a real Veela. Fred smirked and opened his mouth to say something, but Alex smirked back and brushed right past him.

"Wanna dance, Mr. Weasley?" she asked. She wasn't looking at Fred. Her deep hazel gaze was fixed firmly on George.

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Fred shook his head slightly as the realization sunk in. "_George, she was talking to GEORGE." _

"Best shut your mouth before a nargyle wanders in." George scoffed, tapping his brother's gaping jaw so that his teeth clinked together before following Alex out onto the dance floor. The music changed from an up-beat number to a slow, sappy tune.

"I'm not sure exactly why you don't like me, George." She whispered into his good ear as they glided slowly around the edge of the dance floor.

George panicked, causing him to step on Alex's foot, who in turned tumbled slightly in her heels. From the far corner, Harry stifled a laugh. Alex paused and pulled off her heels, discarding them under a nearby table.

"Never said I didn't like you." George mutter uncomfortably, squirming slightly and trying to avoid eye contact with Alex as they danced. Then he saw the glimmer in his mother's eye as she watched her son on the dance floor. "But now Mum thinks I _do_ fancy you. Thanks. I'm sure I'll hear about this for a lifetime."

"I can see what you are thinking." Alex said. "And I mean, literally _see _what you are thinking." She whispered again, momentarily taking the lead and moving back out towards the edge of the dancecfloor.

"Erm, alright then…."

She gestured with her head over to a table where Harry was sitting with an ancient witch and wizard. "Look, there…Harry, I mean, Barney, has just received a nasty bit of news about Dumbledore from your Aunt Muriel."

"How'd you know about Muriel? Ginny tell you about her?

Alex pressed on as they spun past Fred, whose mouth was still slightly ajar and whose gaze was focused over the shoulder of his lady friend. "And Fred, well Fred is trying to focus on chatting up Fleur's cousins and not coming over here to interrupt."

"Well, that's obvious."

They spun past Mr. Weasley, who had his arm draped around his wife's shoulder. "Your Mum is thinking of how handsome her oldest son looks on his wedding night and wondering when they will give her grandchildren."

Onward past Ron, who was glaring angrily at the back of Viktor Krum's head and muttering under his breath as Krum danced with Hermione. "And Ron, Ron is trying very hard not to punch Viktor Krum in the face for daring to dance with Hermione."

"And that strangle girl, Luna that I met earlier…she's trying to avoid, I'm not quite sure what they are but she's trying to avoid the wrackspurts."

"That's Luna." George caved, slightly impressed by what Alex was telling him. "And what I am thinking?" George asked as the music started to wind down.

"You, well you are thinking that I am trying to steal your brother. And that makes you feel lonely. Especially because of your ear. And feeling so self-conscious is something new to you….but this time you don't feel like you have Fred to talk to about it.

"But don't worry, I have no intentions of stealing your brother. In a week, I'll probably be gone. I have a few things to figure out, and once I do, I'll move on."

But George barely registered the last sentence. He was too caught up in the fact that Alex had just perfectly described the way he was feeling, even though he'd barely talked to her since she arrived. "That's just plain….. _weird_."

"Wanna know something even weirder?" She lowered her whisper voice even more and leaned in and up toward George. "Sometimes, I can see things about a minute before they happen."

"Now that one I'll need some proof on."

"Ok, well the music is just about to stop." Alex was looking firmly at George now, her back completely turned away from Fred. "In about twenty seconds, Fred is going to walk over here and butt in. He's going to make some wise-crack about me wanting to dance with a less holey-person or someone that still has all their facilities. He hasn't worked that out yet." She muttered; her voice was low enough that only George could hear.

No sooner than Alex had uttered the last word, the music came to a complete stop and the leader of the band started to speak, saying the Bill and Fleur would be cutting the cake. Fred was already approaching, dodging around the people making their way over to the stage where the cake was resting on a simple, white clothed table.

"Now, George, I know you think this being "holey" business—" Fred tried to cut in as Alex dropped her hands from George's.

Alex put her hand up, stopping Fred. "Save it, Fred Weasley. They aren't playing any music right now, and I'm done dancing for the moment." George winked at Alex as he wandered away to grab a slice of the delicious dessert.

"Well, if you don't want to dance, can I interest you in a bit of adventure?" Fred's eyes sparkled micheviously.

"Adventure?" Alex's interest was piqued. "What kind of adventure?" she grabbed a glass of champagne off one of the many platters floating around the tent.

He pulled her away from the hubbub of the wedding and behind the shed. A small contingent of garden gnomes had gathered there, and he grabbed a few and threw them over the fence with a twirl.

"Really ugly things, aren't they?" Alex said with a slight grunt as she too joined in hurling the gnomes over the fence.

"You've got to spin them, though or they'll just come right back." Fred said, showing Alex how to properly de-gnome a garden. "You don't have garden gnomes where you're from?"

"I've never seen any," she replied slumping against the shed, slightly out of breath. "That's a slight workout. Fun, but pretty taxing." Alex grinned goofily and picked up the glass of champagne she'd set down earlier. Fred leaned against the shed next to her and mocked her by wiping imaginary sweat off his brow.

"Hilarious." Alex laughed, rolling her eyes and punching him on the shoulder.

Thinking this was as good of a chance any, Fed seized his opportunity and leaned in quickly. Just as his lips were about to meet hers, a strange silence fell over the party.

"What was that?" Alex breathed, barely making a noise. She had turned her face away, back towards the wedding. Fred was still leaned in, lips pursed slightly and his eyes half closed. A bluish light was now emanating from the party they had just left behind. Suddenly, someone screamed.

"What in the bloody hell is going on?" exclaimed Fred, hearing the disruption from where the reception was taking place.

"Are people…are people screaming?" she replied, moving to peer around the shed.

Fred reached out and grabbed her arm. "Don't just jump out there!" He held her arm and they inched around the shed to survey what was going on at the dance floor. Several people were screaming and there were loud pops as entire families began to Disapperate.

Alex swore loudly as she surveyed the panic. "We've got to find out what's going on! We have to help them!" She broke free of Fred's grip and tore off towards the party, attempting to hike up the skirt part of her dress to retrieve the wand she had stashed in a makeshift holster.

"Oy! Where are you going?" Fred called after her. He watched her run, trying desperately to catch up with her, but she was faster than Fred thought she would be.

Twenty yards short of the dance floor, he saw something dark and masked sweep down into the middle of Alex's path and she came to an abrupt halt, barely avoiding toppling over her own two feet. The Death Eater pointed his wand directly at Alex's chest. Five feet away from Alex, Fred launched himself at her, pushing her down to the ground and out of harm's way. A red stream of light passed over their heads.

"Harry Potter?"

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_Special thanks to those who have read, reviewed, set up alerts, or made this story one of their favorites. PS writing is not a chore, but it's always easier to write when you know someone wants you to. Thanks for the support._


	9. Chapter 9

"Harry Potter?" The voice grumbled menacingly.

"Do I bloody look like Harry Potter?" Fred retorted back, drawing out his own wand. He slowly pulled himself up off the ground to his elbows.

"Where's Potter?" The Death Eater pressed, thrusting his wand out again.

Instinctively, Fred pulled his wand out as well. "You think Harry Potter would go strolling around a wedding full of people?"

"Don't get smart with me, blood traitor." The Death Eater snarled back and Fred's eyes widened. "Think I didn't know? With that red hair, you have to be a Wea-" Fred felt a whisper of air pass underneath his outstretched arm, and the Death Eater froze, his limbs turned into stone.

Alex pulled Fred up by the collar as she got off the hard earth. The Death Eater's eyes swirled madly in their sockets, and Alex pushed him over.

"For good measure." She explained to Fred as their opponent hit the ground with a thud.

"Smooth." Fred replied, grabbing her hand and racing back up to the dance floor, where a few guests were still dueling with the Death Eaters. Charlie stood between Ginny and a black cloaked man and Mr. Weasley was furiously arguing with another Death Eater that Fred did not recognize.

"I can assure you that Harry Potter is not here!" Alex heard him yell as they approached. "Now, if you'll excuse me, you just barged into my son's wedding and I have several terrified guests to attend to."

"Well, if Potter's not here, you know where they are hidin' him.'' The man near Mr. Weasley looked to be in-charge of all the others. He was tall, pale, and had white blond hair pulled back into a long braid.

Alex quickly surveyed the scene. It looked like Harry, Ron, and Hermione had escaped. Alex hoped Harry remembered what she had told him earlier.

The few guests that remained behind were either cowering together in groups or being questioned by Death Eaters. Half of the tent had fallen down and several tables had been knocked over. A broken glass of enchanted champagne kept refilling itself and then spilling on to the dance floor. Bill was standing protectively in front of Fluer; Alex couldn't tell if she was crying out of fear or anger.

Time seemed almost suspended, and the chaos taking place around her felt unreal. Every time Alex wondered even a foot away, Fred grabbed her and pulled her back to him. Soon, they were all being ushered into the center of the dance floor and into a few of the surviving spindly chairs. The Death Eaters encircled them, shouting questions at each of them with no rhyme or reason.

"You're not a Weasley." Yaxley, who appeared to be the head Death Eater, snarled, pointing his wand in Alex's face.

"No, I am not." Alex replied back through gritted teeth. Fred kicked the leg of her chair.

"What are you doing here?" Yaxley demanded, pacing around the chair she was in. She could feel his hot breath on her neck.

Feeling unrealistically brave, Alex narrowed her eyes and replied, "I tour the world, looking to get attacked by big, ugly, cowardly men wearing hoods—"

"She's a friend of the family." Ginny butted in. "Visiting from the States to see my brother's wedding. You remember my brother's wedding? The one that you ruined?"

"Ginny that's enough!" Mrs. Weasley hissed, grabbing her daughter's hand and stepping in front of her.

"Yes, Ms. Smarty Pants, that's enough. I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to this one over here." Yaxley pointed back at Alex and snarled.

"Like Ginny and Mr. Weasley have already explained, I am here for _the wedding_. The one you and your little friends just ruined—"

"I don't know how they do things where you're from, but its seems to me you're in no position to be prat." His face was inches from Alex's now. "Now, Where. Is. Harry. Potter?"

Alex took a deep breath and stuck out her chin to prevent it from wavering. "Harry Potter? How would I know where Harry Potter is? I've never even _met_ Harry Potter."

Yaxley surveyed Alex closely and then moved on to question George and Ginny. Fred shot Alex a harsh, serious look and shook his head. Though she'd only known him for about a week, she was surprised someone so lighthearted could make such a serious face.

After over an hour of constant questioning, the Death Eaters finally moved on, realizing that Harry was not here and no one present knew where he was.

"That was extremely foolish, Alex." Remus said as soon as the Death Eaters left. "Though the threats we face here may not be real to you, they are real to us. And not one of those Death Eaters would have spared your life tonight based on where you are from. You were lucky."

"I'm sorry." Alex replied, the rosy red color on her cheeks the result of both embarrassment and frustration. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I should probably get going."

"Where are you going to go?" Fred asked, hoping that the answer did not involve traveling across a large body of water.

"Back to the Leaky Cauldron." She said with a shrug, groping around to find the shoes she'd discarded earlier.

"Mum, do you think it's a good idea for her to leave now?" Fred said anxiously. George shot his brother a suspicious look and Fred rephrased his statement."I mean, do you think it'll be safe there tonight?"

"I suppose you're right, Fred." Mrs. Weasley conceded. "Alex, it's probably not a good idea for a young lady to be traveling by herself. It's a bit cramped, but you should stay the night here at the Burrow"

Alex opened her mouth to protest, but Mrs. Weasley cut her off. "No arguing. I think that everyone needs to get inside and rest. Arthur, Charlie can you handle recasting the protective enchantments or should Fred and George help?"

"No, Molly, we'll handle it. The more people inside the better, I think." Mr. Weasley replied nervously, rushing towards the fence to re-enchant the house. Charlie and Bill joined in as the rest of the party hurried into the Burrow. They knew several Death Eaters lurked beyond the boundary, watching. Watching and waiting.

"You can come back to Diagon Alley with us tomorrow. You'll get there safely, at least." Said Fred as he held the door open for Alex.

"I don't need an escort." Alex returned, pulling up her skirt in a huff as she entered the house.

A few of the wedding guests and relatives had decided to the night as well, feeling it safer to travel in the morning during daylight hours. Ginny, Alex, Fred and George had been displaced from their bedrooms to the den. None of them minded, as they didn't expect to sleep much anyways. Ginny was busy flitting around the room, trying not to pace around. Mr. Weasley had sent a Patronus to let Ron, Harry and Hermione know the family was safe, but warned them not to return contact. Was Harry safe? Was Ron? Was Hermione?

Fred and George sat cross legged, side by side, staring into the fire with such intensity it was almost as though they expected to see Harry's face in the embers. After attempting to lay down and sleep, Alex sighed and went to join them on the floor. For once, the Burrow was completely silent.

'_Alex. Alex.' _The voice was in her own head, and Alex knew that no one else in the room could hear it. Harry had remembered. _'We're safe. We're safe. Tell them we're safe.'_

"They're safe." Alex whispered. Fred and George looked up. "Ginny, stop that. They're safe."

Ginny rushed over to Alex. "What? What did you say?"

Alex looked up, certain of what she was about to say. "I said, they are safe."

"Where are they?"

Alex lowered her voice to barely a whisper. "12 Grimmauld Place."

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_**Author Notes: Thanks to Punk Rock Angel and Padfoots Princess for the reviews. The story is going to start to deviate from the book now, so I hope you enjoy my glimpse of lives of those Harry left behind. **___


	10. Chapter 10

The Burrow was tense. Tenser, according to George, than when their estranged brother Percy had arrived unannounced at Easter Dinner. The few people who remained at the house had fled as soon as the sun rose. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Weasley had escorted Bill and Fleur to their new home, Shell Cottage. He'd asked Fred and George to stay behind and look after Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. Ginny had broken the news about Alex's premonition from last night and George was currently trying to convince his mother that Alex was telling the truth.

"I trust her, Mum." George said. "How else would she know the name of that place? You can't even say it if a Secret Keeper doesn't reveal it to you."

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips. She looked tired, worn, and older than her children had ever seen her. "If you say they are safe, they are safe. Thank you for letting us know." She sighed and looked at the old clock propped against the chair Mr. Weasley usually sat in. The many hands of the clock were each inscribed with a name of a Weasley family member. Each was pointing at a segment of the clock labeled "Mortal Peril". Ron's hand stuck out sharply against the others, almost as if it were straighter, longer, reaching out to the word "peril" as if to underline the danger he was currently in.

Fred was surveying Alex, who was twitchy and jittery, closely. He knew she was uncomfortable in the Burrow and had been trying to come up with a reason to leave since sunrise. At that suggestion, just about everyone had bristled, trying to explain to the Alex that this was _not _America, that Voldemort was a real threat, and traveling by yourself was not a good idea. Fred and George would drop her off when they went back to their shop and apartment on Diagon Alley. Sensing sitting at a table and feeling like a prisoner was probably not the best way to keep her calm, Fred decided a distraction was in order.

He cleared his throat. "I reckon we should teach Alex how to use a Patronus to send messages, don't you, Mum? Just as a precaution." Mrs. Weasley nodded vaguely and stared into her cup of coffee. "Want to give me a hand, Georgie?"

Needing absolutely no excuse to get out of the house, Alex almost jumped over the table on her way to follow Fred out of the door. The three walked down to an open area in front of the orchard, the sun reflecting off the red hair of all three, making them look like walking fireballs. Alex wondered how much whoever (or whatever) was watching could see or hear. It was August, warm and sunny with a light wind, but it felt more like October. Even with the sun it felt cold, as summer had gone on vacation and just forgot to tell the sun.

"You can cast a Patronus, right?" Fred asked as they reach the top of the hill.

"Obviously I can cast a Patronus."

"We'll start slow, not a lot of distance between us." Alex looked confused so Fred stopped and explain. "The Order of the Phoenix uses Patronuses to communicate with each other, so the messages don't get interrupted, see."

Alex looked impressed. "Brillant." She said, taking out her wand. The wind whipped her now-short hair around her face, and she kept batting it out of her eyes. Fred thought it was one of the cutest things he'd ever seen.

"Right, so you start like normal, thinking of a happy moment…."

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"Here we are, the Leaky Cauldron." Fred held the door open for Alex, who was carrying her rather large traveling bag. Both of the twins had offered to carry it for her (on the instince of Mrs. Weasley) but she had stubbornly refused. Apparating outside the Leaky Cauldron and accessing the situation before dropping Alex off seemed like the safest bet. A small barely noticeable sign in the grimy window read "OPEN".

The bar area was almost completely empty as they walked in. Tom the barman looked up. "Ms. Black! You're back. Started to worry a bit, I must admit."

"I'm fine. Tom." Alex smiled. "My room still there?"

"Of course." He gestured up the stairs; Alex was already half way up them, George hot on her tail.

"Think I'm going to grab a quick drink, George." Fred said, sitting down at the bar. "Meet you up there in a moment. Firewhiskey, please Tom.

Tom pulled out a glass and poured the liquor into it. Fred took a small sip and set the glass back down on the bar. "Hear the news from last night?"

The barteneder pointed his wand towards the front door, the clicking of the locks echoed loudly through the empty room. "Ministry fallen, Minister dead, and a group of Death Eaters attacked your brother's wedding, is what I hear."

Fred nodded. "That's about right. What's going on around here."

"Rather quiet." Tom whispered. "Few people out on the street besides the Death Eaters. Wasn't even sure if the two of you would be back.

"I feel in times like these, people could use a little laughter. It's my job to provide that." Tom nodded with understanding. Fred knew he tried keeping the Leaky Cauldron open for the same reasons.

"I see…." The barman replied, a thoughtful look on his face. "Suppose I better tell you, few Death Eaters came 'round this mornin' looking for you and your brother. Told 'em your brother had just gotten married and I guessed you were with family."

"I appreciate it." Fred nodded, drinking the rest of what was in his glass and putting a few sickles on the bar. "I'd appreciate it if you'd watch out for her—" he pointed upstairs. "Let us know if anything strange happens, and the like."

"Will do, Fred." Fred nodded and went up the stairs to join George and Alex.

"See you're all settled in." Fred said, resting against the doorway to Alex's room. George was at the window, surveying Diagon Alley.

"Rather depressing out there, Freddie." George told him, not looking up from the window. "It's like a ghost town down there."

Fred walked over to the window and peered through it. "Reckon few people want to be walking around right now. Tom said the Death Eaters have been on the prowl." He turned back to Alex, who was already laying on the bed reading a book. "Sure you don't want to grab a bite to eat with us?"

Alex shook her head and didn't even look up from whatever she was so intensely focused on. "Nope. Not hungry. Thanks. Tom'll bring something up if I need it."

"Alright then, if you need us for anything or if you get lonely, just come into the shop. Or just use the Patronus. You remember how to use the Pat—"

"_Yes." _Alex replied emphatically, her hazel eyes narrowing significantly as she slammed her book on the bed. "Honestly, you are starting to worry as much as your mother. If I need you, go to your shop. Where is it exactly?"

"On Diagon Alley."

Alex rolled her eyes as she followed the twins to the door. "Very descriptive."

George grinned. "Just walk down the street—"

"You can't miss it." Fred finished. Alex slammed the door in the faces.

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The room was dark. Almost pitch black, save the orange-ish light streaking through a gap in the curtains. Alex looked at her watch. _2am_. Something had woken her up; she almost never woke up in the middle of the night. She listened carefully for a few moments, taking care not to not even breathe too loudly. Nothing, no sound whatsoever. Just in case, she pulled her wand from under her pillow and held it tightly in her hand.

"_It's nothing. You're being paranoid. The Weasleys made you paranoid._" She told herself, closing her eyes. "_Especially Fed. Fred would love it if she came running to him for help."_

Moments after she closed her eyes, she heard it. _Someone was slowly unlocking the locks on her door._ Terrified, she sat up in her bed, her wand pointed at the door. She muttered a spell under her breath and the locks righted themselves, firmly locking back into place. Under the door, she could see a shadow blocking the small sliver of light. Someone with large, heavy boots was standing right behind the door. They tried several times to unlock the door without success. The boots moved on; Alex could hear them retreat down the hallway. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Morning, it could wait for the morning. Tomorrow morning, she'd casually stroll into Fred & Georges shop and let them know what was going on. Just as she was about to settle back into bed, she heard it….the boots, and the man wearing them, were making their way back down the back. Back to her.

On second thought….a blue silver-ish light shot out of her wand and through the barely open window. The owner of the boots was in the hallway, whispering. He'd brought company…..Alex nimbly leapt out of bed, her feet making barely any noise as she approached the door, her wand held out in front of her. Waiting.

A few doors down, a small silver monkey gamboled through the open window and into the flat Fred and George shared. Both looked at it, their mouths hanging open as the Patronus spoke. "Someone's trying to get in my room." The voice, barely a whisper, was Alex's. "Help."

XXXXXXX


	11. Chapter 11

_Crack_._-Crack_. Alex jumped as a series of bangs rang out about two feet in front of her. Both Weasley twins, their eyes wide and their wands out, were standing in front of her. One of them-in the dark she couldn't tell which-brought a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. The other twin moved to towards the door.

Outside, the two men had obviously heard the noise when Fred and George Apparated into the room. Alex shut her eyes, trying to focus on the voices outside the door. When there were a lot of people in a small space, her head sounded like a radio that couldn't decide which station to tune into.

"...blast down the door. One half-asleep witch can't be much..."

"Your stuff still packed?" Fred/George whispered. Alex shook her head "You're coming with us. _Muffliato._ What's the plan, Fred?"

"You lot go back to the flat, I'll follow in a few. Alex, pack up."

Alex waved her wand and various personal items strewn around the room flew into her open trunk. "We've got about twenty seconds before they blast down that door." She told them.

"Go." Fred insisted. "I'll be right behind." It was at that moment that the door blew off it's hinges. "Go!" Fred shouted.

As George grabbed Alex's arm, she shouted "STUPEFY!" A jet of bright red burst forth from her wand. As the room spun out of sight, she saw the Death Eater get blasted off his feet and hit the wall in the hallway. It was the same blonde man who interrogated her the night before.

They landed in a small flat with a a very large thud. Alex looked around. Messy wasn't the right word to describe it. Brightly colored boxes were stacked along the walls. Half formed experiments sat on the table, countertop, and chairs that littered the room. A few failed project sat in one area; most of them looked as though they had been on fire at some point.

"You think he'll be alright?" Alex asked George, who looked just as worried as he did.

"Course." George cleared off the small couch and motioned for Alex to sit. They sat there for several tense minutes, Alex continually checking her watch to see how much time had passed.

_Crack._ Alex jumped up, landing on one of the couch cushions.

"Shot a bloody hole through my jacket." Fred said, shaking his head as he looked down at the hole in his sleeve. "I love this jacket."

"I can fix that." Alex pointed her wand at the hole, which mended itself instantly.

"Thanks." Fred grinned. "Right, now off to bed?" He walked slowly and purposefully towards what Alex assumed was the room the twins shared.

"What?" Alex could not believe that Fred was going to brush this off. "Two crazy _Death Eaters_ just blew the door off my room and you're just going to waltz off to bed?"

"HIlarious. You should go into comedy, you really should." George replied, knowing Fred was staging this scene for dramatic effect. "What happened after we left?

"Well, Yaxley got hit with that stunning spell-nicely done by the way-and the other bloke sort of panicked. We threw some sparks back and forth. Finally disarmed him and then scuffled with him a bit. Ended up punching him in the nose."

"You punched a Death Eater in the nose? Are you-"

"Mad?"

"Lucky he didn't kill you."

"Body-binded him and wiped both their memories, just in case." Fred sat next to Alex on the couch. "Grabbed these from the Leaky Cauldron on the way out." From underneath his jacket he produced three bottles of butterbeer.

They drank in silence for a little while. George turned on the old wireless set that sat opposite the couch. The harsh voice on the other end was advocating the newly formed Muggle-Born Registration Commission, locating in the Ministry.

_"...Research has shown that magic is a trait that can only be passed down from Wizard to Wizard. Minister for Magic Pius Thicknesse invites all so-called Muggle-born witches and wizards to present themselves for questioning at the Commission's Offices . The Commission is currently researching to determine exactly how these so-called Muggle-borns were able to overpower and steall the magical abilities of pure-blooded witches and wizards..."_

"That's awful." Alex declared. She drained the last of her butterbeer and carefully balanced in on a semi-flat object on the table. "Thanks."

"For the butterbeer? It's nothing."

"For saving my life. I'm sorry, I just...I didn't have anyone else to turn to."

"You don't need to thank us for that." George said.

"Mum never would let us hear the end of it if they'd taken you or worse. Honestly, we did it as much for us as you." Fred assured her.

"Think we all could use a bit of rest." George said, getting up to stretch. Fred opened a closet and pulled out some spare blankets and pillows.

"Spare room's...erm..." Fred searched for the proper words to explain exactly _what_ they used the spare room for as he set about making a bed on the couch.

"A right mess at the moment."

"We couldn't be held accountable for any injuries may sustain while in that room-"

"-best if you just sleep on the couch."

"Its actually rather comfortable."

"I'll be fine. Really. You guys go on off to bed."  
XXXXX  
Alex was sitting upright on the couch, her body illuminated by the light of the fire. She had lied through her teeth when she said that she was going to be fine. But Fred and George had done enough tonight; they didn't need to stay up and babysit her because she was too frightened to go to sleep. Shifting, she looked down. She was gripping her wand as tightly as possible, her knuckles white with blood loss from the pressure. If they found her at the Leaky Cauldron, couldn't they find her here? And _why_ had they gone looking for her? Did they know something she didn't?

"You going to go to sleep?" Alex jumped up and pointed her wand at what turned out to be Fred. Embarassed, she quickly dropped it to her side. He was in pajamas blue pajamas spangled with silver stars, leaning casually against the door frame.

"Sorry. I'm still a little jumpy."

"It's alright. You're not used to it yet." Fred disappeared into the spare bedroom, returning with an ordinary pack of Muggle cards. "Oy! George! Wake up, we're going to have some fun." George emerged from his bedroom, groggy and rubbing his eyes. He was dressed in identical red pajamas.

Fred held up the cards. "Expect you know what these are. Know any good games?"

Alex cleared off the small coffee table in front of the couch and sat cross legged on the floor. "You guys know how to play poker?

"What?" the twins asked simultaneously as they too, settled themselves on the floor.

She shuffled the cards. "I'll teach you. It's a betting game...we need something to bet with. Money, fake coins, popcorn anything."

"Tell you what, let's make this more fun and a little bit of a stress-reliever." Fred pointed his wand an a bottle of firewhiskey and three glasses zoomed onto the center of the table. "Whichever one of us loses the hand, we take a shot." Alex and George nodded in agreement as Alex doled out the cards and started to explain the game.

Fred and George were quick learners, and soon they were playing actual live hands of poker not practice hands. The boys were too quick to catch on to the game and it appeared Alex was losing almost every hand. She was starting to expect that they were cheating, trying to get her to lose each hand. But she really didn't care. The more hands they played, the louder the laughter got. And after the tension of the last few days, a little laughter was exactly what was needed.

After about an hour of playing cards, they all folded and drifted back to the couch, where Fred and George started bragging about their exploits over the years. They were laughing so hard, they were almost in tears.

"...went to go save Harry, flew the car all the way there..."

"...pulled the bars off the window..."

"...you should have _seen_ his family, all hanging their heads out of the window..."

"...squished up like sausages in a tin..."

"...and then Mum comes running out of the house..."

Finally relaxed, Alex felt her eyes slowly drooping, giving into the darkness.  
XXXXX


	12. Chapter 12

The world hurt. That's what Alex thought as she opened her eyes the next morning. Her head was aching, the light made her eyes water, and her body felt weighted and tiresome. Exactly how much firewhiskey had they gone through last night? Yawning, she stretched her arms and legs.

"Ouch!"

Her foot had connected with something padded yet bony when she moved. Raising herself up on her elbows, she noticed that her impediment happened to be Fred's face. He was sitting upright at the end of the couch, her legs had been resting on his lap. "Sorry." She laughed.

"Morning to you, too." Fred glared at her, rubbing his chin. Alex looked down. George was sitting propped up against the couch near her head. The bottle of firewhiskey lay empty, discarded next to the coffee table. "Oy! George! Wake up!"

Fred threw something at George, who awoke with a start, obviously not realizing he'd slept on the floor last night. "What a nice wake up call."

"Better than being kicked in the face. Anyways, quit complaining. We need to open up shop." Fred casually flicked his wand before disappearing into the bedroom. Pots, pans and cutlery set about making what Alex could only assume was breakfast.

"You guys are actually going to open your store after what went on this weekend?" Alex stifled another yawn and stretched out on the couch.

"Course." Came the muffled reply from the bedroom. Alex still couldn't't tell which twin was which unless they were standing in front of her.

"We decided a long time ago that we'd stay open as long as we could." Fred/George continued.

"Laughter goes a long way, even in this climate."

"Plus, Hogwarts students will be arriving soon."

"No way the Ministry is going to let McGonagall stay headmistress." They were trading sentences back and forth, as if they shared one brain. It drove Alex insane.

"It's our obligation to make sure students can cause a ruckus for whomever the Ministry decides to use as a figurehead."

Both boys emerged from their room. "Not much in the kitchen, but help yourself to what's there." George said before rushing out one of the two doors off the kitchen.

Fred followed, but stopped and looked back at her before disappearing. "It gets a bit noisy downstairs, but you're welcome to come join us later."

A bit noisy is an understatement, Alex thought ruefully about a half an hour later. Considering she felt like she had been hit by a truck, she decided to go back to sleep before getting up and making food. She'd barely drifted off to sleep when odd bags, pops, shouts, and music started wafting up from the room below. After awaking with a start, Alex decided it would probably be better to shower, eat and start her day. Especially since it didn't sound like she'd be getting sleep any time soon.

A huge shadow flew by the front window as Alex passed by. Terrified, she jumped and pulled out her wand. The shadow passed back and forth three times before she decided to approach the window. As she pulled back the homemade curtains, she realized the shadow was in fact a giant purple top hat attached to a mechanical arm. Opening the window and leaning on the sill, she looked down on a giant-sized top half of a man with flaming red hair. Rolling her eyes, she closed the window and went about making food.

About an hour later, Alex walked through the door the twins had disappeared through earlier that morning. Slowly, she wound her way down a spindly staircase that lead to a walkway behind the cash register. The still bandaged George was leaning over the counter mumbling to himself.

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was an assault on the senses. The shop was a hodgepodge of brightly colored boxes stacked higher up the walls than any normal person could reach. Odd bangs, flashes, pops, and snaps came from every corner, above and below. A firework rollicked about, sending shimmering rainbow colored sparks in its wake. Smoke and flashing lights issued from the other object crammed onto shelves and spindly tables. From one oddly pink and purple area, smells of sugar, lavender and citrus wafted, making Alex's mouth water.

"Nice store." Alex said, stepping inside. George shouted and nearly jumped onto the counter.

"Merlin's beard! Don't do that!" George yelled back at Alex. "Lucky I didn't take you for a Death Eater and pull out my wand!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." She apologized, jumping up on the counter and grabbing a spindly black horned object. "What's this?"

Fred had materialized out of nowhere, dressed in a brown pinstriped suit. "Decoy Detonator. Handy if you need a distraction." He picked one up and dropped it on the floor. It scuttled away under one of the spindly tables. "One of my more brilliant—"

"—our brilliant ideas." George interrupted, glaring at his twin.

Fred kept grinning, and suddenly the whizzes and bangs that flooded the shop were overshadowed by a loud honking, banging, and black smoke. The decoy detonator had deployed. "Wish I had some of these when we needed to get Filch off our backs!" Fred yelled above the noise.

"Cool." Clearly impressed, Alex's eyes began wandering around the rest of the shop.

"Feel free to look around. Try out anything you like."

Fred watched as she strolled about the store, her hand trailing on the shelves. She stopped every feet feet to pick up a box or to more closely inspect a display model of a product. Just as she reached the stacks of brightly colored trick candy, the door to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was blasted open.

Three Death Eaters entered the shop, glaring around at the few people who cowered in the corners. Alex slipped back behind the counter as the approached, stealthily grabbing badge emblazoned a large, blinking, orange W and pinned it to her shirt.

"Oy! You're going to fix that door, you are!" George yelled as the Death Eaters approached the counter.

The three men approached the counter, ignoring George. "Well, well, look who's finally returned." The tallest of the men, a man with cold grey eyes and pale blonde hair said, spinning his wand carelessly between his fingertips.

"Our brother just got married, Malfoy, in case you didn't notice-"

"Closed up shop to help with the festivities-"

"That's not been made illegal, now has it?"

Malfoy continued to ignore the twins, using his wand to nudge a box that read "Extentable Ear" across the side. "We've been looking for you. Shop's been closed up. And Harry Potter just_ disappeared_. Pretty interesting, don't you think?"

Alex, who was standing slightly behind the two boys, say both of their back tense at the same moment. They both reached for their wands. She stepped forward. "They said they were at their brother's wedding. I was there. I saw them, both in awful suits that threatened the laws of fashion."

"And, who, might I ask, is this?" Malfoy's cold eyes surveyed her up and down. Alex stuck her chin out definitely, drawing a deep breath before launching into the verbal lashing she was currently cooking up in her head.

Fred stepped in front of Alex slightly, making it clear that her best bet was to shut her mouth. "New employee. Just started this morning."

"I see." Malfoy gided along the counter, surveying the products lining the shelves, his lip curling slightly. He turned back towards George. "Wherever did you _get_ that?" He gestured towards George's ear, which was still bandaged.

Instinctively, George reached up for his ear. There was a slight pause as he thought of an answer. "Bi-Bit of an accident with a new product. Testing phase."

"_Really_? Tsk tsk...we should learn to be careful, shouldn't we, _Weasley_." Alex was taken aback by how much disdain dripped through the last word, as thought the name Weasley was something dirty. "Perhaps next time, we'll be a little bit more-_cooperative _ when my friends and I pay a visit." He turned on his heel and left the shop, his two lackeys barely a foot behind.

"The next time you visit, you'll be lucky if you make out of this shop in one piece." George muttered under his breath.

Fred jumped up on the counter. "Sorry for that little spectacle, ladies and gentleman. Just a friendly visit, you know. 10% off anything you buy at Weasleys Wizard Wheezes today." He jumped back off the counter.

"Is it like this every day?" Alex asked, leaning back again the orange and purple striped wall behind the counter.

"Didn't use to be. Likely will be going forward." George sighed.

Fred was a little less forgiving. "You really need to learn when to _shut up_." He leaned against the counter opposite Alex, crossing his arms and attempting to look stern.

"I'll shut up when I get _paid_." Alex grinned. "Since I'm an employee and all."

Fred's stern look soften and he looked away. When he looked back, he was smirking. He nodded to the badge pinned on her shirt. "The orange does suit you."  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	13. Chapter 13

"Still can't sleep?" Fred asked, lounging in the doorway to the small living room area. Alex was once again perched on the couch, sitting straight up and hugging her knees to her chest. She jumped and jerked her head around; Fred saw her swiftly tuck her wand away under a couch cushion.

"I tried to." Alex sighed, rubbing her eyes. Deep blue-black circles hung around them. "I'm not like this, normally. I promise-I'm just not used to all this insanity going on around me. I'm normally quite fun."

"Better not leave that wand under the couch. Never know when a Death Eater may waltz through all our protective spells and try to attack."

Alex blushed scarlet. "You're hilarious."

"Want us to sleep out here again?"

"No, it's alright. Go to bed. I'll fall asleep eventually."

"It'll be fun. Like a campout in the woods. Look-" he brandished his wand in a sweeping motion and a large canvas started to unfold itself. "I'll even put up a tent. Oy, George! We're having a campout! You bring the sleeping bags."

Yawning widely, George ambled out of the bedroom carrying several brightly colored blankets and a few pillows. The pillows looked homemade and each had an "F" or a "W" sewn on it it. Fred pointed his wand towards the fire and the once-dimming flames shot up, hot and orange once again.

"I can make S'mores." Alex offered, grabbing a sleeping bag and pillow and settling under the tent. She stretched her toes out towards the fire and yawned.

"What?"

"S'mores."

George looked at Alex as though she had sprouted several additional heads. "Some-ors? What in Merlin's name are Some-ors?"

"Not some-ors, _s'mores._ It's like... a campfire dessert." She explained "You don't have those in England?" Both boys shook their heads. "Well, do you know where there's a big supermarket around here, like a Muggle one?"

"Think I know of one on the outskirts of the city." Fred said, hurrying to strategically place his sleeping bag and pillow next to Alex's. "Haven't got any Muggle money though."

"I do." Alex grabbed Fred's hand tightly, and he felt a surge off energy course down his arm. "Let's go."

Alex held tightly to Fred's hand as they Apparated into an empty back alley on the outskirts of London. A cat meowed and ran behind a garbage bin as they appeared. Alex slipped her wand hand up into the sleeve of her hooded sweatshirt and cautiously proceeded out of the alley, looking for any signs of people lurking in the shadows. "No monsters." She whispered to Fred with a wink.

They emerged out into the pale, neon lighted sidewalk. The sign above the grocery store buzzed slightly, and a street light nearby flickered on and off. "What are we here for, again?" Fred asked, tucking his wand in his jacket pocket.

"Sustenance. Marshmallows. Graham Crackers. Chocolate, preferably Hershey's. We had to go somewhere that would have an American food aisle." She replied, walking through the automatically opening doors and into the supermarket. The harsh overhead lighting rebounded off the linoleum floor and made Alex's eyes burn. She blinked and adjusted to the light.

"Oh Dad would _love _these." Fred muttered as he walked through the door. His gaze fell upon the rows of gleaming, blue-painted shopping carts neatly lined up by the window. "What are those? D'we need one?"

Alex smiled and pulled a cart out from the line. "Sure." She said, handing it over to Fred, who marveled at how easily it glided across the floor with a slight push. His thoughts told her that he was contemplating how to get the cart back tot he Burrow to show Mr. Weasley.

Amused by his marvel, Alex stealthily looked around. Only two employees appeared to be on the floor, and both were standing at one of the check out counters, gossiping. "Follow me." She said, motioning for Fred to follow her to the back of the store.

They walked past almost everything, the produce, sodas, a deli, and a meat counter. At the back of the store, they made a quick right and walked to the end opposite of the entrance. About halfway down an aisle lined with pasta and sauces, Alex stopped and turned around abruptly. Fred lurched, trying to prevent the cart from running over her toes. "Remember how I said I was fun?"

"I vaguely recall that, yes."

Alex grinned widely. "Now, we're going to have some fun. Climb in." She motioned towards the larger of the two basket areas in the cart.

"You want me to climb in there? D'you know how tall I am?"

Alex tapped her foot impatiently. "I'm waiting." Shaking his head, Fred climbed in the cart. He felt ridiculous, squished in a tiny space with his knees practically up to his eye balls. Alex grabbed the handle of the carriage and pulled it back further down the aisle. Fred heard her take a deep breath before she started running down the gleaming, runway-like floor. About halfway down the aisle, she jumped off the floor and onto the bar that ran underneath, steering solely by shifting her body weight. At the end of the aisle, she dropped one foot and they glided past a display of mustard, around a corner and into the neighboring aisle.

"Pit stop." She said, jumping off and walking off down the aisle, grabbing a few items as she went. With much difficulty, Fred clamored out of the cart and backed it up to the shelf of cookies and crackers Alex was currently studying. She picked up a bright yellow box and turned, to find Fred's face inches from her own.

He was bent over, grinning at her. "My turn." Alex rolled her as, as she deposited the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars in the seat of the cart before climbing into the basket. She barely had time to sit before Fred took off. As Fred's weight shifted onto the cart, she panicked slightly, her knuckles gripping the sides of the carriage. The neared the end of the aisle and Alex hoped Fred had figured out how to steer; the open cooler of meat in front of them did not look inviting.

One wheel of the cart lifted from the floor as they turned the corner into the next aisle. Fred let out a whoop of joy, intending to continue on the ride.

"Hey! You can't be doing that in here!" A voice from behind them yelled. Fred slammed his foot down and the cart came to a sudden stop. Alex's body lurched forward, her grip the only thing stopping her from being propelled from the cart entirely. Regaining her composure, Alex climbed back out of the cart and on to solid ground.

"Sorry!" They both laughed before scurrying up to the front of the store, where they paid for their items. Fred deposited the carriage back in line with the others as the clerk handed Alex a paper bag. They maintained semi-serious faces until they exited the store, the manager following them the whole way out.

As they ducked into the side alley, they both burst into uncontrollable laughter, the kinda that made your stomach hurt and tears fall from your eyes without warning. Alex leaned back against the brick wall and tried to catch her breath, taking large, deep breaths that only made her laugh harder. For the first time since she had arrive at the Burrow, Fred noticed an indescribable twinkle in her hazel eyes.

As she laughed, a piece of her dark red hair fell in front of her face. Alex reached to move it back into place, but in that instant, Fred's hand was on hers, stopping her from moving it. He looked at her for a moment, smiling as he let her hand go. Alex didn't move her eyes from his as he pushed the rogue hair back out of her face and behind her ear. His hand settled at the side of her face, cupping her check.

"Nicely done." he whispered, before moving in closer so that their lips almost touched. Alex could feel his short, warm breaths on her check. The suddenly, his breaths were replaced by his lips against hers.

Fred pulled back slightly, searching Alex's face for a sign of what she was thinking. Her lips curled into a small smile as she dropped the grocery bag to the ground and wrapped her arms around his neck before kissing him back, more fiercely then he had ever been kissed. He pulled her closer, not wanting the moment to end.

The cat from earlier made a hissing noise and scuttled by their feet, startling them enough that they pulled apart. Fred's hands stayed on Alex's waist as his eyes followed the followed the cat.

"I don't like the looks of that cat." He said, suddenly serious, all traces of the smile from moments earlier completely erased from his face. "We should scarper." Fred grabbed Alex's hand in his; moments later they were sucked into the Darkness.  
XXXXXXX


	14. Chapter 14

The fire was slowly dwindling down to embers when Alex yawned. Though skeptical at first, George and Fred enjoyed the S'Mores once Alex showed them how to put them together. While Alex found it fun to roast marshmallows on a stick, the traditional way, the twins decided the constant turning was too much work and instead, magically suspended their marshmallows over the fire.

An odd silence settled over the three, as they stared at the marshmallows magically rotating themselves over the flames. The trick was paying attention; the marshmallows burned easily and often broke open, letting the goopy insides leak out on to the fire.

"D'you think they alright?" George asked, his eyes still focused on the flames. "Harry, Hermione, and Ron?"

Both Alex and Fred shrugged. "Hope so." She said, as her now toasty marshmallow zoomed out of the fire and onto the graham cracker and chocolate.

"You haven't...seen anything more, have you?" Fred wondered, glancing over at her quickly.

Alex gave a small smile. "It doesn't work like that. I can't just...summon what I want to see, especially if they are miles and miles away. Well, I guess their right down the road really, but anyways...when I'm not looking at you, I get more of a...glimpse of what's going on in your head. Unless you do what Harry did and basically call out to me, send me what you want me to know.

Besides, protective enchantments obscure it; any glimpse into their heads I have gotten has been...almost blurry, if you will. I do think they are still at Grimmauld Place, though."

"Well, that's good then." Fred replied a little more brightly as he beckoned his toasted marshmallow out of the fire. "Spect the house elf will help look after them. Can't imagine what they would be like on the run."

"Harry would hold up well. He's used to less then ideal living conditions." George supplied, biting into the very last of the S'Mores.

"Besides, he feels obligated to finish this. Hermione-"

"-she'll be fine. Granger's a nitpick but I think she knew what she was getting into-"

"And then there's Ron." Fred supplied.

"What does that mean?" Alex asked curiously. Though she had spent very little time with Ron, she didn't quite grasp why he would have a more difficult time roughing it then Harry and Hermione.

Fred sighed. "Ron's...not the toughest bloke. Petrified of spiders-"

"-though that's our fault, really."

"-turned his teddy into a spider when we were young-"

"-plus he's had Mum and Dad watching out for him-"

"-most importantly, _feeding_ him-"

"-and the Burrow's no palace but at least it's a nice roof over your head. I wouldn't be surprised if he was back home for Christmas."

Alex didn't know what to say. She hoped that Ron's brothers were just being hard on him. She hoped they were wrong about Ron. "I think I am gonna go to bed." she declared, standing up and shuffling away from the fire. towards the still standing tent. "Good night."

At that same moment, a blue-ish light streaked past Alex's face. A powerful looking lynx dropped to the floor and shook his head before speaking in a deep, clear voice. "Tomorrow. Rabbit Hole. 7:30." And then it was gone, streaking back out of the window.

"Order of the Phoenix meeting tomorrow night." Fred explained, noticing the puzzled look on Alex's face. "Come, if you'd like." He yawned. "Let's tuck in."  
XXXXX

Fred awoke the next morning, his face mere inches from Alex's. They'd whispered into the night, long past when George's snores started to fill the silence. The fire was nothing more then a few burnt embers, glowing bright red among the ashes when he finally drifted off to sleep. Fred had fallen asleep with his hand on a tiny patch of visible skin on her side.

He looked at his was nearly time to open the store for the day. Thought it was the last thing he wanted to do at that moment, he slowly pulled himself up off the floor, taking care not to disturb Alex. He kicked at George an hissed "Wake up!" before going to put on one of the many suits he'd acquired in the past year.

Ten minutes later, the two boys were running down the staircase to the joke shop below. Fred activated the top out outside and George turned the sign on the door from "CLOSED" to "OPEN". Noise began to fill the large space as both twins settled behind the counter to eat breakfast.

"So you finally snogged her?" George asked, his mouth full of bacon and eggs. "About time."

"Gentlemen, don't kiss and tell, Georgey." Fred said, smiling slyly as he bit into his toast.

"Since when are you a gentleman?"  
XXXXXXXXX

At 7:30 on the dot, Alex, George, and Fred appeared right outside the Burrow's boundries. They hurried through the gate and towards the open door. Before being allowed to enter, each was required to answer a question to prove they were who they appeared to be. Alex, slightly nervous, stammered out an answer about where she lived in the US before stumbling through the door into the cozy kitchen of the Burrow.

Tonight, cozy was an understatement. In addition to Mr. & Mrs. Weasley and Bill and Fluer, seven other people were crammed into the room. Alex was introduced and re-introduced to each person in the room: Kingsley Shacklebolt (who's voice Alex recognized as that of the . Aberforth Dumbledore. Arabella . Professor McGonagall. Remus Lupin. a boy about her age named Neville Longbottom.

Mrs. Weasley was busy making sure everyone present had a plate of food and a glass of ale or pumpkin juice. Alex was about to offer to help when Lupin approached her. "Alex, we're about to start the meeting. Officially, we only allow Order members to be present-"

"I want to be in the Order." Alex stated matter-of-factly.

Lupin looked slightly taken aback. "I thought you would be going back home."

Alex shrugged and sat down at the small scrubbed wooden table. Lupin and Kingsley settled across from her. The chatter that had filled the room when they arrived had stopped, all eyes were focused on Alex, Lupin, and Kingsley.

"I don't have a home to go home to." she said. "Besides, Fred and George hired me to help out at the shop."

Everyones eyes shifted from the table to the sink area, where Fred and George were standing, both of their mouths full of food. Fred swallowed quickly. "It's true. Found a note from Verity when we got back-"

"-she's gone into hiding. Her husband's a Muggle, so it makes sense." George finished.

Lupin focused his gaze back on Alex. "Being an Order member is a serious responsibility." he told her. "You must be absolutely sure that you are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to bring down the You-Know-Who."

Alex rummaged thorough the inside pocket of her jacket and pulled out a small, bent photo. She carefully unfolded it and pushed it across the table towards Kingsley and Lupin. It was the photo of her, Harry, Sirius, and James sitting among the greenery in a local park. The adults laughed as Alex attempted to wrench Harry from James' arms and deposit the baby in her lap.

"Do you see the people in this photo?" Alex said, her voice completely serious. "Of the four people in this photo, I'm the only one here. Two are dead; the other essentially has a target on his head." She looked both men straight in the eyes, not blinking at all.

"If I can help Harry come out of this alive, then I am all in. If I can prevent another person from feeling the pain, and the loss that I have been through...then I am in. I have no family left; no person should ever feel that way. My mom...Siri-my dad...Uncle Albus...all gone. If you think that I can help, then I am in. I will do whatever you ask."

Kingsley nodded curtly at Lupin, who spoke. "We don't ask that our members make the Unbreakable Vow, Alex. But we do want to make sure that they realize what they are in for if they join the order. Understand?"

Alex nodded.

"Are you, Alexandra Andromeda Elizabeth Dumbledore Black prepare to assist the members of the Order of the Phoenix in their battle against the Dark Wizards currently threatening the existance of a peaceful, magical community?"

"I am." She said firmly, her back very straight as she listened.

"And are you prepared to guard the information you may learn as a member of the Order, with your life, if necessary?"

"I am."

"Are you willing to protect anyone, witch, wizard, or Muggle who may come in harm's way as a result of Death Eater activity?"

"I am."

"Are you prepared to assist Harry Potter in his quest finally defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be Named, realizing that in the course of this, you may be risking your own life?"

"I am."

"Are you prepared, if necessary to risk your life in battle against the Dark Arts currently threatening the Wizarding Community?

"I am."

"And finally, are you prepared to gaurd the identities and locations of the Order and it's Members, torture or threat of death itself?

"I am." Alex affirmed for the last time.

Lupin gave her a small smile, "Then welcome, to the Order of the Phoenix." he said. "Sirius and Dumbledore would be proud."

Alex smiled back and Fred and George whooped and enthusiastically clapped from the corner. Mrs. Weasley shot them a look and they shut their mouths, grinning as they settled in at the table.

"Now, as that's taken care of you may have noticed something a little different in that speech." Lupin said, standing up.

"You didn't say Vo-" Hagrid supplied before Lupin cut him off abruptly.

"You-Know-Who, now that he has taken control of the Ministry, has made his name taboo."

"What's that mean?" Fred and George asked in unison.

"It means that if you say his name out loud, it will break all magical enchantments and protections in the area and allow the Death Eaters to immediately locate you." Kingsley answered.

"This makes sense, as the only people who ever said You-Know-Who's name out loud were members of the Order or other related associates. So, whatever you do, do not call him by his name." Lupin emphasized the last sentence and waited for each person to nod in understanding. "As for our second order of business, I will defer to Neville."

Lupin sat back down at the table, and the boy who Alex assumed was her age stood up. He was tall and gangly, almost awkwardly so, with short dark hair.

"Got my Hogwarts letter the other day." Nevill said, holding up a piece of parchment. "All magical children _must_ now attend Hogwarts."

Around the table, a few individuals exchanged worried glances as Hagrid nodded in agreement with what Neville was saying.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts is called Dark Arts now." At this noise, several people took sharp intakes of breath and looked at Professor McGonagall.

"As you may be wondering, I am no longer Headmistress of Hogwarts School." The said sadly. "That particular job is now in the hands of...Severus Snape."

"No!" George and Fred exclaimed loudly, jumping to their feet. "That git-"

"Boys!" Mrs. Weasley yelled from the other side of the room. "Sit _down."_ Reluctantly, the twins returned to their seats, sour looks on both their faces.

"Yes," Lupin continued. "Snape is now in charge of Hogwarts and it's students. Which is why Neville here is going to be so important these next few months."

Neville, who was sitting down once again, explained. "I'm willing to pass information to the Order about what is going on inside Hogwarts." He said.

Lupin spoke again. "And that, Fred and George, is where you come in. We need to devise a way for Neville to get information in and out of the school, without anyone detecting what is going on."

Fred and George gritted their teeth and both nodded. "Challenge accepted." They said. "Snape won't know what hit him."  
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_And Now….a Word from the Author: Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story! Everything has been so positive so far and I'm really glad you are enjoying reading this as I am writing it! Keep the reviews coming and I'll keep the chapters coming!_


	15. Chapter 15

Alex had never experienced a true London rainstorm, the kind where the sky was an immovable steel grab slab and the rain came down in torrents that were more like solid sheet of rain than rain drops. After much discussion and debate, Fred and George decided to put an anti-Apparation jinx on the flat and store. Which meant that Alex had to Appearate into and out of Diagon Alley, which by extention meant she got soaking wet.

The Order, knowing the Death Eaters would not recognize her as easily as other members, sent her to help Aberforth at the Hog's Head Inn for a few days. The end of August was near and students would be returning to Hogwarts September 1st; the Death Eaters and other Voldemort followers were arriving in droves in Hogsmeade. She was supposed to pose as a barmaid and attempt to glean information from the conversations in the pub. Unfortunately, the Death Eaters had even less information then the Order did.

Feeling as though the past few days had been a complete waste, Alex sighed and pointed her wand at the lock on the door to Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes. The store was dark and quiet, shadows stretched awkwardly along the walls and a few items quietly whirred on the shelves. Her shoes squelched as she trudged up the stairs to the flat; not only were her feet soaked, but they were tried and fatigued from standing all day. Tomorrow, she'd be working at the store, where she could take a five minute break without Aberforth yelling at her to bring up another dusty case of butterbeer.

Wanting nothing more than a hot bath and a warm blanket, Alex pulled the open the door to the flat and was overwhelmed by an acrid, burning smell. George was standing by the stove, fanning billowing black smoke towards a tiny window with a blue dish towel; Fred was by the sink, running water over a pan and holding one of his hands as though it were injured.

"Rough day?" Alex asked, using her wand to shoot a blast of hot air at her hair and face.

"You think?" George glared at her. "Three weeks of planning up in smoke-"

"Pipe down Georgie. Accidents happen."

George scowled, a rare occurrence for him, and used his wand to blow the rest of the smoke out of the window. "I'm taking a bath." he said, throwing down the towel and stomping off to the bathroom.

"What's got his, er, knickers in a twist?" Alex attempted to throw a British accent on the last few words and Fred laughed.

"Nice try." he lounged against the counter and crossed his arms, grinned at Alex and twirling his wand in his hand. Alex was soaked, her clothes two shades darker from the water drenching them. All except for her her hair and face that was. Fred continued grinning and pointed his wand at her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Alex asked, worry clouding her features as she raised her own wand.

"Augamenti!" he whispered. A thick jet of cold water shot out of his wand and hit Alex directly in the face. She stared at him in shock, mouth hanging wide open as the water dripped down her face. Fred roared with laughter. "Needed a bit of cheering up in this place."

Still fuming, Alex flicked her wand at the sink faucet. The water running downwards towards the still smoking pot shot up at a 90 degree angle and hit Fred directly in the back. "Ha ha HA!" she laughed, nearly doubling over as Fred jumped up, knocking over one of the kitchen table chairs.  
Back on his feet, Fred grinned and raised one of his eyebrows. "So, you want to play _that _game." With a very swirly flourish, Fred shot the water from the faucet directly at Alex. Alex ducked and the water hit the wall before she deflected back towards Fred.

"Aargh!" he yelled as the water hit him in the face. Thinking he was distracted, Alex dropped her wand. In that split second, Fred sent the water back at Alex with such built up force, it knocked her over and she hit the wall.

Glowering, Alex pointed her wand at Fred and a dark black shadow shot out of hi. The shadow formed into a small mass directly above Fred's head. He looked up at it, wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open...and suddenly, a sheet of rain fell onto his face. The shadow was a dark, ominous raincloud that showed no sign of running out of water anytime soon.

"Well done." he said, spitting water out of his mouth and moving a few steps to his right. A moment later the cloud followed. "Oh you're _joking_." He said, moving quicker this time in an attempt to outrun the rain droplets. Once again, the cloud followed.

"Call it off! Call it off!" He begged, his clothes now sopping wet and his hair plastered to his forhead. Alex smirked at him, her arms crossed as she watched Fred try to get away from the cloud.

George walked out of the bathroom and started laughing. "Nice piece of magic." He said, watching his brother, who was now sitting at the table sulking, and umbrella over his head. "I burn a potion and you conjure up rainclouds that stalk people. I think you may have a career in the joke shop business, you know."

Still smirking, Alex nodded in agreement. From the table, Fred glowered.

XXXXXXXX

He was surprised by how much he enjoyed just watching her. Watching as she moved around the store shelves, checking to see what needed to be restocked or repackaged. Then again, she had a habit of taking things out of the package to play with the, contents, so really she was creating work for herself.

Fred had to stop himself from watching her several times a day, as not to embarrass himself. In a few minute, he, George, and Alex were supposed to have an "official" brainstorming meeting. After witnessing Alex's little rain cloud magic, George had been impressed enough to ask Alex to help them develop new products for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

With only a few days left before the new term started, the shop was busier than it had been all summer. As one of the rare spots on Diagon Alley that was not overrun with Death Eaters, the noise and hubub of WWW provided shoppers with a momentary distraction.  
They settled behind the counter area to eat lunch and discuss future product ventures. Alex unwrapped her ham and cheese sandwich, took a bit, and got down to business before she had finished chewing.

"Inda Mooglewhirl, deyave candcalatooomic." She said through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Slow down and chew-" George interjected.

"-yeah, if you choke, I don't know the charm to dislodge it-"

"-and we'd hate to make you walk all the way to St. Mungo's."

Embarrassed, Alex swallowed her food and took a swig of pumpkin juice. "In the Muggle world, they have these candies called Atomic Fire Balls." she stated.

"Atomic fireballs?"

"Yeah, they are these hard candies you suck on, they taste like cinnamon. So strong, it makes you feel like your tongue's on fire. I could see some potential there."

Fred put his hands behind his head, an contemplated the idea. "Suck on a sweet, and shoot flames out of your mouth?"

"That's what I was thinking." Alex agreeed. "Just need to figure out _how_...a potion, a charm...a hex, even?"

"Put it on the list Georgie. I was thinking we need to-"

"-focus on products that Hogwarts students can use?" George interrupted. Their habit of finishing each other's sentences was still infuriating, but Alex had learned to ignore it.

"-especially ones that can be easily concealed and cause massive destruction or mayhem."

"What about-"

It was Alex's turn to interject. "Sorry to interrupt, boys. But you have a visitor." She said, gesturing towards the door.  
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	16. Chapter 16

Both Fred and George reached for their wands. "Relax, it's just Neville." Alex assured them as Neville Longbottom walked in the shop, his jacket held over his head to shield him from the rain. He stood in the doorway, shaking off some of the rainwater and looking around for the twins.

George stood and cupped his hand around his mouth. "Neville!" he shouted and motioned Neville over.

Lanky and awkward, Neville scooted around the parents and students moving throughout the ship and made his way towards the back couunter. Fred conjured up a chair and Neville settled himself at the table.

"Didn't think it would be this busy." Neville said, helping himself to a pumpkin pasty. "All the other shops up and down the alley are nearly empty."

"This is the one place the Death Eaters haven't completely overrun yet." George replied. "Spect all the happiness makes them nervous."

"Nothing wrong with a nervous Death Eater." Fred grinned "I'll lose 100 galleons a day just to stay open and keep those fools on their toes."

Neville nodded in agreement. "You give any thought to our little problem?"

Fred and George exchanged a nervous glance. "Sorry, mate." Fred apologized. "Still haven't figured out how to get past all the security measures."

"We're working on it." George assured Neville. "Maybe we'll go in if you get a Hogsmeade weekend-"

"Pretend to be looking at Zonko's."

Neville pulled a gold coin out of his pocket. "Was thinking of using the old D.A. coins." he said, tossing the coin in the air and catching it. "Only problem is-"

"Anyone that has a coin can read the message." Fred supplied and Neville nodded.

"Not to but in, but what kind of 'security measures' are we talking about here?" Alex asked, looking at the three boys.

"Filch will be looking through all the mail-"

"Probably reading all the letters."

"And they must have probity probes or something like them looking for concealed objects and the like."

Alex put her elbows on the table. "So basically, we need to come up with a way to smuggle messages out of Hogwarts that won't be detected by people reading the letters and won't set off any concealment sensors."

"Well, when you put it that way it sounds easy." Fred said crossly. "Those probes pick up everything."

"And you're open to trying anything?

"Anything." Neville confirmed.

"Use a code. A simple code. Muggles do it all the time. Some can be really complex, but you just need a simple one." Alex summoned a spare piece of parchment and a quill from the counter. "Like, fore example, use every fourth letter of a sentence."

_This musn't be taken poorely_. She wrote on the paper. "Not the best example, but it will work" The boys looked at her with a blank stare. She sighed with exasperation and wrote the sentence again.

thiS musN't be tAken PoorEly. "S-N-A-P-E." She spelled out. "Using every fourth letter, you get 'Snape'. You hide the meaning in a letter filled with non-sense. And the occasional misspelling shouldn't tip them off...they'll just think your a dumb Muggle-lover."

"Blimey."

"That's bloody brilliant." Fred said picking up the parchment and reading over the words again.

Nevilled nodded in affirmation. "Might have to have Ginny or Luna help me come up with the writing, but I think it will work."

"They'll never stoop so low as to think like a Muggle." George stated. "Beat them by using what they are trying to wipe out. It's _brilliant_."

"Thanks." Alex said with a smile. "I have been known to have momentary glimpses of genius now and then. And if you think they _are _catching on, you just change the letter number. Use the fifth letter or the sixth."

"Glad they kept you around." Neville said appreciatively, surveying Alex with a keen interest.

Alex winked at him and leaned across the table towards him. "You keep thinking things like that, Neville Longbottom, and I think Mr. Weasley over here is going to want to have a little chat." She nodded her head towards Fred.

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about." Nevilled stammered, suddenly embarassed. "Honestly, Fred."

"No use lying Neville, she can see what you're thinking."

"What?"

Alex waved her hand. "I can see pictures of what you are thinking about in your head. But that's the not the point...the Hogwarts Express leaves in what? Two days?" All three boys nodded. "The Death Eaters are planning on stopping that train, Neville."

"Why would they do that?"

"Rile up some first and second years, get them a little nervous. Scared. Plus, they seem to think Harry Potter will be on that train." Alex glanced up and looked out the window of the ship. The windows across the street were plastered with black and white posters of Harry's face with the words "UNDESIRABLE NUMBER ONE" stared back. "Just make sure they don't hurt anyone, OK?"

"Harry Potter on the Hogwarts Express? How thick can they get?" Neville replied, a look of disgust on his face.

George rolled his eyes. "Do you _really_ have to ask that question?"  
XXXXXXXX

It had taken nearly three weeks, but Fred and George had finally managed to clean out the spare bedroom. ("Be careful," George warned. "We think we got all the dangerous stuff out of here, but you never know what my turn up.") Not thinking she would be staying in London long, Alex hadn't brought any bedding or pillows or other home comforts. Both boys valiantly gave up one pillow each to make her comfortable, and she was using one of the sleeping bags they'd slept in by the fire as a comforter. Fred had winked and promised to get her something better soon.

It was still raining. The sheets of rain had slowed to large droplets, but were now punctuated by flashes of bright-white lightening and loud rumbles of thunder. She was staring at the ceiling, trying to calm her brain enough to fall asleep. Tonight was the first night she was falling asleep alone since she arrived in the country.

Though she attempted to keep a brave face, the whole Voldemort-Death Eater takeover had shaken her to her core. Around every corner she expected a masked stranger lurking, waiting to stun her or worse. Noises and shadows creeping across the walls made her instinctively reach for her wand; tonight she was sleeping with it under her pillow, her fingers mere millimeters away from it. The twins, realizing her fears, had humored her and stayed in the living room with her most nights, or at least waited until she fell asleep before turning in themselves.

And now here she was, all alone in a big, strange room. Sleeping on a pillow that smelled like someone else's hair and trying to cuddle under blankets that were not hers. The twins slept next door; it was barely two feet from her door to theirs. And yet she felt oddly alone, as if she were the only person in the flat.

A loud clap of thunder made Alex wince. Her fingers tightened around her wand. "It's nothing. It's nothing go to bed." she thought to herself. "Just shut your eyes and go to bed." She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and started counting sheep to distract herself. Tomorrow, she,Fred, and George would be accompanying Ginny, Mr. Weasley, and Mrs. Weasley to the train station. Alex had never been on the platform before. Her school in the US didn't have magical trains to transport its students.

She just hoped the Death Eaters didn't ruin it, for either her or the first year students who would be anxiously loading their trunks onto the Hogwarts Express for the first time. Her body relaxed as she thought of the platform and what she'd see there the next day.

Another loud clap of thunder caused her to wrench her eyes open. She wiped her head around and saw an odd shadow streak across the window shade as lightning lit up the sky. What was that?

Alex couldn't help it. She vaulted out of bed and on to the hardwood floor. Rounding the corner of her doorway, she saw that the twins' door was open a crack. It creaked slightly as she pushed it open and slunk through into the dark room. The thunder rumbled again, followed by another lightning strike. It illuminated enough of the room for her to make out the lumps that were Fred and George, snoozing peacefully in their beds. But which was which?

She crept over to the bed furthest from the door, whispering _lumos_ as she walked. At the very least, she could pick out Fred from George by using their ears. The red-headed man in the second bed had two whole ears. Alex slowly peeled back the blanket Fred was sleeping under and slid under next to him on the mattress. He stirred slightly and Alex froze, hoping not to wake him.

She curled herself up as small as possible, and perched on the very edge of the bed. If she rolled over even a half an inch in her sleep, she would end up on the floor.

Fred's hand reached over, grabbing Alex and pulled her closer to him. He moved his arm so her head would rest on his shoulder and curled his arm around her shoulder. Alex smiled to herself, tucking her chin under Fred's.

"Well, if I knew it would get you in my bed this quickly, I would have conjured up a good thunderstorm ages ago." He whispered.

"I'd like to see you try." Alex whispered back sarcastically. "I can go back to my room, you know. This bed's pretty tiny." Alex felt Fred grip on her shoulder tighten very slightly.

"If you're uncomfortable here, I'm _sure_ Neville Longbottom would have more then enough room for you in his bed. Mind, you'd have to get past his Gran." Fred teased.

"Oh, shut up!" Alex hissed back, moving closer to him.  
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Author Note: Thank you to everyone who has been kind enough to review! I'm glad you are enjoying my vision of life behind the scenes while Harry was on the run! I'll be distracted for a few days, but will hopefully have a new chapter up by Monday. Cheers!


	17. Chapter 17

There was an awkward silence the next morning when three people awoke in a bedroom that normally contained two. George's mouth was open slightly as Alex rolled out of bed.

"Right. Well...um..." She looked at the two boys and decided to ignore the situation and go an get ready.

Fred rolled his eyes as George stared at him."What? When you wake up with good looking girls in your bed, do I say anything?"

"I've never woken up with a girl in my bed before." George pointed out.

"Well, who's fault is that?"

"Fair point." George conceded.

Alex was dressed and ready to leave the flat by the time the boys amble out, toothbrushes hanging from their mouths. Her part in the journey to Platform 9 ¾ was a little more complicated then just showing up; because she was still relatively unknown, she was valuable to the order. Lupin agreed to let her come (they more people for protection the better) as long as she was in disguise.

Dressed in a very conservative skirt and blouse, a blonde-haired and bespectacled Alex stood in the kitchen as the boys entered. While those who knew her would recognize her instantly, people who had just glanced Alex in the Hog's Head probably would not be able to recognize her as the stern looking blonde.

"Ready then?" she asked, holding out her hand so they could Disapperate together.

They arrived out the Burrow just before Luna Lovegood and her father. Neville Longbottom and his grandmother would also be traveling to the station with the Weasleys.

_Strength in numbers_. Was the phrase Lupin kept repeating. He, Tonks, and Kingsley were there as well. Kingsley managed to produce two official looking cars to transport the party to King's Cross. Alex would be riding with Ginny, Fred, Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, and Lupin. Their car would lead.

The trunks, pets, and people loaded into the cars, and the party departed with Fred and George behind the wheels of the cars. They reached King Cross Station in record time, owing to the fact that objects and traffic seemed to jump out of the way as the cars approached. The cars were parked, trunks were removed, and the party was hurrying to the station entrance in under five minutes.

Though the downpour had finally stopped, a fine but chilly mist constantly hung in the air. It made Alex shiver as she walked towards the station; Fred had told her to get used to this weather. With Voldemort in charge of the Ministry, the Dementors of Azkaban were on the loose; as long as they were allowed free reign, the mist would persist.

Alex walked through the pillar and onto the platform after Luna and Mr. Lovegood. A Death Eater was waiting on the other side, his hand clutching his wand. He eyed the group suspiciously as they moved towards the waiting Hogwarts Express. Mr. Weasley and Ginny appeared on the platform moments later. Death Eaters seemed to be strategically placed around the platform, shooting glaring looks at the gathered families, almost taunting them.

It was 10:55. Ginny, Neville, and Luna had five minutes to get their things on the train before it would leave for Hogwarts. Alex grabbed Neville's sleeve and pulled him aside. A few Death Eaters had left their posts and were sneaking onto the train.

"Listen, Neville," she whispered. There was another Death Eater within a few feet. "I have a bad feeling right now. They are going to try something. I can't tell you what, but they all seem to think Harry's getting on that train."

"Why-"

Alex leaned in closer and slowly walked with Neville towards the area of the train Ginny and Luna were settled in. "I don't know why; seems logical that he wouldn't just go waltzing into Hogwarts, but just be ready, alright? And make sure you test out that new system this week." The train's whistle rang out at that point, and Neville jumped on to the train.

"Well, that's that then." Mrs. Weasley sighed as the train glided out of sight. "They'll make it safely, right Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley squeezed his wife's shoulder. "Of course, Molly. Of course." He assured her. "Now, what do we all say to a spot of lunch back at the Burrow?"

Mr. Lovegood and Mrs. Longbottom declined, opting to Aparare directly home. Fred and George had to reverse the charms they'd cast on the cars and return them to a car rental shop in Ottery St. Catchpole. Alex and Fred, alone in the first car, rode in almost complete silence. Ginny was supposed to send word they'd arrived safely when she got to Hogwarts; Alex could see his sister's face clearly in Fred's thoughts. They would all be on edge until they were certain the Hogwarts Express, and all of its students, had arrived without incident.

"That's the Ministry." Fred said, as they drove by a very non-descript building with a red phone booth out front. Alex noticed several oddly dressed people walking purposefully around the building.

"_Harry!"_ Alex gasped suddenly, craning her neck around as they passed a line of people waiting to use the public toliets. A flood of images moved in and out of her head: a tall, powerful wizard, a skiving snack box, a marble fountain, and an old, heavy locket.

"Are you insane? Harry Potter sitting out side the Ministry for Magic?" Fred scoffed, not taking his eyes off the road.

"They are planning something to do with the Ministry." Alex insisted, still focused on the small crowd of witches and wizards.

"Planning what at the Ministry?"

"I don't know."

"You think Harry, Ron, and Hermione are just going to show up at the Ministry of Magic? That's the nuttiest thing I've heard today, and I talked with Mr. Lovegood for about twenty minutes."

"Fine." Alex crossed her arms and settled back into the front seat. "Don't believe me. But I know what I saw, Fred." she insisted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex curled up under the quilt Mrs. Weasley had given her while they ate lunch at the Burrow.

_'Fred told me you didn't have any proper bed things.'_ Mrs. Weasley said, presenting Alex with a neatly folded patchwork quilt.

_"Oh, Mrs. Weasley, you didn't-"_

"_It was no trouble dear, really. I'm stuck in the house most of the day. Needed a good distraction. Besides, it will keep you warmer than anything you'd buy on Diagon Alley."_

Alex had graciously accepted the gift and sat at the table talking with Mrs. Weasley for about an hour while Freg and George consulted with their father. Mr. Weasley was tinkering with old Muggle radios, modifying them so they Order could use them as another form of communication. He'd sent George and Fred home with one to try out. It was currently sitting, untouched on the kitchen table.

The first light of day was peaking through Alex's window shade. She'd slept alone last night for the first time since arriving at the flat above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes; after seeing those brief glimpses of Harry's thoughts outside the Ministry, she kept feeling sick to her stomach and seeing odd flashes of thought pass through her mind's eye.

Times like these made her hate what other people called her "gift"; the blur of thoughts made her nauseous and unsteady on her feet. Creeping out of bed before daylight, she scrawled a note and left it on the kitchen table for the boys. She would be sleeping in today; with all the students back at school, the shop would be slow and after a fitful night of sleep Alex's mind would be mush.

_'She's right_.' Alex thought to herself as she yawned and closed her eyes again. _'This quilt is lovely and warm.'_' Finally devoid of other people's thoughts, she drifted off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXX

She was dreaming. She could feel her body thrashing in her sleep, as if it was trying to rip itself back into consciousness. Images, more concrete this time were flying through her head. Harry, Ron, and Hermione appearing outside of the Ministry, hidden by an Invisibilty cloak. Mr. Weasley giving the cold shoulder to the tall wizard Alex had "seen" the day before. A Decoy Detonator. A book entitled "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore". A slightly pulsing locket. A two women and a man running up a dark corridor followed by a swarm if Dementors. Horror on Ron's face as it changed back to normal. Fear. Scrambling for escape as Yaxley tried to grab Hermione. More fear. A dense wood. Hermione, panicking-

Something shook Alex awake. The thoughts disappeared. "Wake up, wake up." Fred's voice said. Alex opened her eyes and his face slide into focus. "Our friend Lee just came into the shop shouting. He was down near the Ministry...you'll never guess what happened-"

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They broke into the Ministry." Alex said flatly. She closed her eyes again, hoping to get at least one more flash. The look on Hermione's face had not been reassuring. "I saw it. Well, bits of it." She got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. George and a black boy with dreadlocks were seated at the table. Alex assumed this would be the aforementioned Lee.

"Are they safe? What happened? Did anyone get hurt?" Fred pressed, handing her a cup of tea.

She slammed her tea cup onto the table. "I'm not a video camera, Fred! I can only tell you what I saw." Alex said angrily, crossing her arms. "And what I saw wasn't much. It was frenzied. What I see is based on thoughts, feelings, not solely actions."

"They broke into the Ministry. Bloody hell." George's face went pale as he realized Alex had just confirmed Lee's story.

"Maybe we should go see your dad. He might have overheard something at work." Lee suggsted.

"He did." Alex said, sipping her tea now. "He did see something. They ran into him, but your dad didn't know. They were in disguise."

Fred slammed his fist against the table. "This is mad!" he exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "You know what the Prophet puts out tomorrow is going to be complete rubbish."

"There's got to be a better way of getting information out." said Lee, staring at a hole Fred and George had burnt into the table.

"Well what channel of communication do the Death Eaters not have complete control over?" Alex asked. "Obviously, the newspaper is out. And we don't have the resources for that."

Silence fell over the four young adults. Alex stared absentmindedly at the fire; in the background, the radio was droning on about the Muggle-borns who escaped from the Ministry.

"That's it." Alex said suddenly, walking over to the radio unit. "Wizarding Wireless. They don't have control over all the frequencies on the wireless network!"

"She's right." Fred said, with a slight astonishment. "She's right. We can broadcast from anywhere-"

"Change locations every time-"

"Maybe even the frequency you need to tune to-"

"Better." Alex said with a wide grin. "I think I can make it so you need a password to listen in."

Fred grinned. "Blimey, are you sure you're not Hermione Granger in disguise?"

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	18. Chapter 18

Alex sat at the table in the small flat. A few feet away, a black rain cloud poured rain down into a bucket she'd placed on the floor. Fred, George, and Alex all agreed the target-stalking rain cloud would make a great new addition to the products list going out to Hogwarts students. The problem lie in the fact that the list was supposed to be sent out in two days, and Alex still hadn't figured out how to make the product marketable. After all, who would buy an incantion written on a slip of parchment?

The key was finding someway to contain or package the cloud to allow the purveyor of magical mischief to summon the charm on command. Still staring at the cloud, she flicked her wand and summoned a butter beer, which zoomed into her outstretched hand. Not bothering to pour the drink into a glass, she raised the bottle to her lips without taking her eyes off the black cloud (which was finally, after almost an hour, begining to rain itself out) and drank down half the bottle.

"Oy, you've been up here for hours." said Fred, emerging from the stairs that led to the shop. "Thought you'd drowned."

"SHHH!" Alex hissed, still staring at the cloud. "There has to be a way to contain this stupid thing."

"It's not stupid, it's brill-"

"Shhh!"

"I give up." Alex said, finally removing her eyes from the black cloud and turning to Fred. I can't think of any way to make this a product and not just a _charm._ "

She stared at the bottom of her now empty bottle of butterbeer. An idea struck. "Hey. Give me one of those butterbeer corks." Fred tossed her a cork, which she caught with ease.

"It might work."Alex pointed her wand into the open bottle. Fred watched closely as a dark mist filled the glass bottle. She quickly corked it and placed it gently on the table. The mist swirled serenely in it's enclosure. The cork did not shoot over towards the ceiling, nor did the fragile glass bottle explode into a million pieces.

There was just one test left. "Hate to have to do this," she said with a wry smile. "but as I've got to test it out on _someone_..."

A look of pain appeared on Fred's face as he tightly closed his eyes, waiting for the rain to come. Alex uncorked the bottle. The mist swirled out and she caught it with the tip of her wand. _'Relashio_'. She whispered, pointing the wand at Fred. The black mist shot toward him, gathering mass as it formed into a rain cloud right over his head. Two seconds later, rain was pouring from the cloud, drenching Fred.

"It worked, it worked!" Alex shrieked, jumping up from her chair and running over to Fred, who despite the torrent of water soaking him, was grinning broadly. She jumped into his arms, the cold water running over her hair and face. Laughing, Fred lifted her off the ground and kissed her. Alex took a step back, trying to move out of the raindrops. Dred pulled her back in, leaning his head down to look at her and wrapping both arms around her waist.

"Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant." he grinned, putting her back down. "Too bad I couldn't send one to follow Percy around at the Ministry!"

"We have to tell George." Alex stated, taking off for the staircase. Fred, who's legs were much longer, overtook Alex, hipchecking her into the door at the top of the stairs. Not to be outdown, Alex leaped onto his back, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and piggybacking down the staircase.

"George!"

"Georgieeeee!

"Geo-rge!" The both shouted George's name, making a immense racket as they descended. His wand drawn, George met them at the end of the staircase, a shocked look on his face.

Fred burst passed his brother and into the shop. He spun around widly as Alex failed her arms and legs. If Fred hadn't been holding onto her, she would have gone flying off of his back. Water whipped off their spinning form, soaking everything in sight. "We did it! We did it! It works!" They chanted. "It works."

Dizzy, Fred Stumbled and George caught rain soaked Alex before she hit the floor. "You two are absolutely _mental_." George said. He too was getting soaked by Fred's personal rainstorm.

Alex grinned. "Better fix that product list before you send it off this week!"

"And what are we calling this thing?" George asked, staring at the rain cloud, which was now gently misting above them

"Weather in a Bottle." Alex said simply, looking at the empty butterbeer bottle rolling around the floor.

XXXXX

_Short chapter, but I've been immensely busy and didn't want to deprive you anymore! I hope you are enjoying the story and thanks for the reviews! PS: Did any of you potterheads get into Pottermore yet?_

_-screamer_


	19. Chapter 19

****_Note: If you've been keeping up with this story, you might want to go back and re-read chapter 11! I just noticed that I posted chapter 10 twice. Whoops! X-(_

_XXXXXX_

The air was filled with a nervous anticipation. After much cajoling and the promise of extra protection from the Order members, Mrs. Weasley had consented to letting Alex, Fred, George, and Lee broadcast the first installment of their new radio show from the Burrow. Remus and Kingsley were on hand to provide extra reinforcement as well as some additional commentary, if necessary.

Settling on a name took Lee, Fred, and George hours. Ignoring the boys, Alex set about encrypting the transmission so that only those with the correct password could tune-in to the program's frequency. Luckily, Mr. Weasley had set up each of the Order members with a special radio to broadcast information to each other; using owls was no longer considered a secure method since they were so often interrupted.

After about six hours of arguing, Alex had perfected the transmitter, and the boys had settled on the name "Potterwatch" for the program. Lee would be the main host, with Fred popping in to provide some extra commentary here and there. Alex and George would be in charge of writing the copy for the other two to read. They had to be careful about what they said, and not give any identifying information out over the airwaves. Code names were being used to conceal the identities of the hosts.

Neville's grandmother had smuggled details of the broadcast in a recent letter to her grandson, so that Gryffindor House could listen in. Trusted members of the Order were also given the password and then general time the broadcast, but no other details. The broadcast was to begin after 9pm. Alex nervously checked her watch. They had less than three minutes left before she needed to enchant the airwaves so the program could begin.

"Ready?" she asked, looking at Fred, George, Lee, and Remus. Situated around the worn kitchen table, the four men nodded. Lee refilled his empty water glass, and read over the parchment George had handed him a few moments earlier. George joined Alex behind the radio and switches they were using to broadcast.

As everyone put on their large, bulky headphones, Alex took a deep breath. She tapped her wand against the radio and muttered under her breath. Nothing happened. She nodded her head to Lee, who switched on his microphone. Suddenly, the radio whirred to life, frantically scanning to the correct frequency. The lights on Alex's switchboard started blinking. George raised several of the slider buttons, and pointed at Lee, who calmly began to speak.

_Good evening, witches and wizards, and welcome to the first installment of _Potterwatch_,_ _a program dedicated to the Anti-You-Know-Who movement. Yes, that's right "You-Know-Who". His proper name has been tabooed, listeners, allowing Death Eaters to track your location down to the very blade of grass your foot is resting on. So stay safe, don't be a hero, and call him He Who Must Not Be Named._

_On to our first report of the day, the big headline...Harry Potter was sighted at the Ministry of Magic. In a major embarrassment to the new regime, Harry has managed to escape the grasp of the You-Know-Who run Ministry, even when he was right underneath their nose. Ministry insiders say Potter and two traveling companions were able infiltrate the Ministry by disguising themselves as actual Ministry employees. _

_While we do not know what exactly they were after, a small melee occurred in the trial rooms on the bottom floor of the Ministry, where scores of Muggle-born witches and wizards were awaiting interrogation. Harry and his associates were able to free the Muggle-borns from the dungeons, allowing many of the them to escape and go into hiding with their families. And, something that must be a satisfying side-note for Harry, former Hogwarts High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge, who was overseeing the Muggle-born interrogation was stunned with such force she had to be taken to St. Mungo's to recover. No update has been given on the condition of Umbridge, known for her cruelty and hatred of children and non-wand carrying magical beings..._

_An now update on the situation at Hogwarts, by our special correspondent Rodent..._

Lee's smooth voice transitioned into the slightly higher and less measured voice of Fred. _ Severus Snape, the true murderer of Albus Dumbledore, has been hand-picked by You Know Who to oversee the education of young witches and wizards at Hogwarts school. Reliable sources from within the school report that Defense of the Dark Arts classes have been renamed The Dark Arts. Students, who reported to Hogwarts just a few days ago, have already been asked to perform Unforgivable Curses on first-year students and those who have earned detentions..._

_A fierce underground movement nicknamed "Dumbledore's Army" has risen to the occasion, using all means possible to undermine Professor Snivellus Snape and his new regime. We at Pottermore applaud these brave students, and hope that they take the proper precautions to remain safe, as they have in the past. We also recommend enlisting Peeves, that tempestuous poltergeist, to aid in their efforts. At the very least._

_...Wise advise from Rodent on causing mayhem at Hogwarts. Why we at Potterwatch do applaud the efforts of the Hogwarts students, we'd like to remind them the most important thing is to _stay safe___and not give the Death Eaters cause to go after you or your parents._

_And now...Should you trust your Ministry? A Ministry source let slip that while the transition from Minister Scrimgeour to Ministry Thicknesse seemed rather smooth, a group of Death Eaters actually murdered and tortured the former Minister to death. Thicknesse, rumored to be under the Imperious Curse, is basically a puppet in the white-fingered clutches of You-Know-Who. Any information coming through official Ministry channels, must be treated skeptically, especially the information being pumped out about the Muggle Born Registration Committee. If you or any of your friends are a Muggle Born witch or wizard, we advise you to flee the country immediately. If you report to the Minsitry, you will be stripped of your wand and sent to Azkaban..._

_And lastly, some advice to protect our Muggle neighbors, from our Muggle Safety Correspondent Romulus:_

_Thanks, River. Nicely put...remember that your Muggle neighbors and friends are just as hunted under the current administration as any of us tuning in tonight are. Do your part to ensure the safety of your neighbors by casting a protective spell on Muggle homes and be on the lookout for suspicious wizards in your area..._

_Thanks, Romulus. That's it for _Potterwatch_. Until next time, stay safe, protect each other, and tune-in each evening for another installment of _Potterwatch_. We can't tell you when we'll be back, but we can tell you the password will be 'Patronus'._

Lee and Fred both clicked the off buttons on their microphones. The blinking and flashing lights on the soundboard went out, and the radio went silent. Like the radio, the room was entirely silent. Only George, Fred, Alex, and Lee were left in the kitchen; everyone else was either listening in the living room or outside patrolling the yard.

Alex was afraid to breathe, thinking that if she let a single breath escape from her lips, a Death Eater would swoop into the Burrow and ferry her away. She looked at Fred, who gave her a thumbs up.

"We _did _it." he said finally, breaking the silence. "We _did it!"_ He summoned four glasses and several bottle of butterbeer to the table.

Alex finally could breathe easy; she finally felt useful, like she belonged.

XXXXXXX


	20. Chapter 20

The pencil made a soft whooshing noise as it scratched against the paper. Alex was hard at work at the kitchen table, attempting to make a label for the new "Weather In a Bottle" product line. Alex was working on a charm capable of producing a strong, momentary windstorm when uncorked. Granted, most of the charms would be disguised in ink bottles sent from a generic address but Alex still felt the label was important. If nothing else, they could create a display in-store...and it gave her something to take her mind off the rain still coming down in torrents.

Her current design, a bunch of dark clouds with rain coming down, was too cluttered. Fred & George, as outrageous as they were, relied on lots of color to give their designs a pop; the actual artwork was simple and was the opposite of that. Alex erased some of the background clouds, leaving one large, menacing cloud at the forefront. She scratched "Weather in a Bottle" into the white space of the cloud and added some shadowing at the edges.

The radio droned on. Ministry approved radio was, unfortunately, the only option for radio. A harsh, droning voice interrupted after every song to remind them of a ministry edict or new policy."...we continue to search for Harry Potter, who is wanted in connection with the death of Albus Dumbledore..."

_Harry_. Alex stopped erasing and tracing lines for a moment to think of Harry. Harry, who had overcome great odds to survive an entire month since the break-in at the Ministry. "...Potter has green eyes, dark hair, and a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. If you have any information about Potter's..."

Lightning-shaped scar, Alex thought, looking at the drawing again. '_Perfect'_. She erased the rain drops and added a single bolt of lightning, reaching down from the cloud.

The door leading from the shop opened and Fred ducked through. Because students were all back at school, business had slowed. Alex wasn't really needed as extra help any longer, so she ducked upstairs to work in peace when things needed to get done.

"Hey there lovely, what are you working so hard on?" he asked, coming over and resting his head on hers.

"Design for Weather in a Bottle."

"Lemme look." He grabbed the unfinished drawing from off the table, the pencil Alex was sketching with fell to the table, crushing the tip into a find grey powder.

Alex pointed her wand at the pencil, which sharpened itself immediately. "If you'd let me finish..." she scowled.

"What's this?" Fred pointed to the lightning bolt extending from the cloud. In the shadowing, Alex had faintly sketched in "by Alex Black" on the edges of the bolt  
"My name." Alex said shortly. "Can't you read?"

"Course I can read, but what's your name doing on there?"

"Well, I invented it, didn't I?"

"But if we sell it, it's a Weasleys' product"

"It still says 'Weasleys'", she pointed to the large double W logo at the top of the label. "It still has your logo on it, look."

Fred looked at the label again with skeptism. His mouth set into a rare frown and he picked up the pencil Alex had been working with. He erased the tiny letters on the side of the drawing, erasing part of the lightning bolt in the process.

Alex's eyes narrowed into slits. "It's ten _tiny_ letters. Why is this such a big deal?" Alex glowered, her voice rising sharply.

"Harry gave us the money to start this place and you don't see us plastering _his_ name all over our merchandise."

"Yes, in this climate, playing up any association to Harry Potter is really a smart business move." Alex retorted sarcastically. "Bet you'd be raking in twice as many galleons if you plastered Harry's face on your products."

"Oy! What's all the racket?" George emerged from the shop below.

"It's not going on that label!" Fred yelled back.

"What's not going on where?" George asked with confusion, looking from Fred to Alex, both of whom were standing at opposite ends of the kitchen table with their wands drawn.

"She's being ridiculous. Mad. Insane-"

"_Your_ brother is having a hissy fit because I want _my_ name on the product _I_ invented!" Alex poked her wand at the parchment she'd been working on earlier. Slowly, the lines Fred erased were slinking themselves back onto the page.

"You two are having this big of a row...over a name?"

"No, you don't!" Fred interjected, realizing what Alex was doing. He swished his wand and the parchment ignited in flames.

"Fred Weasley, you are the most self-center, pigheaded,egotistical man-I mean boy- that I have ever had the _pleasure _ of coming across." Alex yelled, pointing her wand directly at Fred. She glared at him again, then sent a beam of yellow light streaking towards Fred.

"Hey!" Fred yelled as his ears began to twitch violently. "Fine. Play that game!" he raised his wand.

"STOP IT!" George roared, as he conjured a Protego charm between the two. "Over a name? Seriously?" Both Alex and Fred had been pushed back to the ground by the force of the spell. Fred rose to his feet as George's gaze fell back and forth between his brother, and Alex who was still on the ground, leaning against the door to the shop.

"If she wasn't so stubbor-"

"Oh, I'm the stubborn one, you're making-"

"STOP!" George yelled again. "If you two are going to have a row, go do it somewhere else."

Alex pulled herself to her feet. "Oh, I will go somewhere else!" she glowered back, grabbing her cloak.

"Where do you think are you going?" Fred shot back, his arms crossed.

"_Out_." Alex replied, her anger becoming more and more apparent.

"You can't just go _out_."

"Who's going to stop me, you?" she scoffed.

Fred moved to stop Alex from leaving. A small bang and ensuing mini-explosion momentarily blinded Fred and George. They stumbled backwards and fell to the floor.

Fred coughed and rubbed the smoke out of his eyes. "Where'd she go?"

"No idea." George replied lowly, searching the room as he rubbed the elbow he had awkwardly landed on.

Alex was gone.


End file.
